


As Seen On TV

by kurapikas_chains



Series: How to Get a Boyfriend - Full Game Walkthrough [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Hinata Shouyou, Pining Kageyama Tobio, Twitch Streamer Kenma, baker kageyama tobio, bartender hinata shouyou, daichi is the mailman from legally blonde and suga is paulette, i can’t stop writing self indulgent pieces, i just love to write pining man, which is the best idea my simple brain has ever created
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26458714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurapikas_chains/pseuds/kurapikas_chains
Summary: Kageyama Tobio watches video game live streams to help him study. This is all fine and good, until his favorite streamer’s roommate turns out to be the cutest guy Kageyama has ever seen.How is he supposed to study when he has a crush on someone who doesn’t know he exists?But, of course, things aren’t always as they seem...rating is for language
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Series: How to Get a Boyfriend - Full Game Walkthrough [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046578
Comments: 117
Kudos: 983
Collections: Haikyuu Fanfiction Archive, My favorite haikyuu fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> life hack for everyone out there: if you’re looking for a fic and you’re thinking, “awe man, i wish that this specific idea was written about” i have a solution! 
> 
> write it yourself! 
> 
> that is what i am doing because this idea has been sitting in my brain for days. 
> 
> (if you’re here from my last fic, third time’s the charm, this isn’t going to be nearly as long or emotionally investing, but i still hope you enjoy! it’s lovely to have you back)

Kageyama had a routine when he studied. He did the same thing, every day, and if he missed it, it totally threw him off of his game. 

The routine was simple. All he needed was his laptop. 

And usually something to eat.

Kageyama slurped his instant noodles loudly as he flipped the computer on his table open. It was one of the things he relished about living alone. Above all else, he was free to eat his noodles at any volume he wanted to. 

He wiped a stray fleck of broth from his screen as the laptop powered on, frustratingly slow. 

His three o’clock lunch/dinner was just a bit too hot, so he sat there in silence and blew on the broth to try and make it more edible. 

The bar on his screen inched closer to full as Kageyama sighed and glanced around his dining room. 

He looked up from another slurp of his much cooler noodles at the little ‘ _ ding!’ _ his computer gave when it turned on. With practiced movement, his fingers danced over the keyboard, the clicking sound of the keys deafening in the otherwise quiet room. 

He plugged in the username he was looking for and groaned inwardly as his mouse transformed into a spinning pinwheel of bad wifi. 

As his browser loaded, Kageyama pulled out his textbook and notecards.

This was his studying routine. Something about the live-streams of a random guy playing a first person shooter game was incredible for his focus. 

He’d found KeNeko about a year ago. Otherwise known as Kenma, he was roughly Kageyama’s age and he live-streamed himself playing a variety of video games. 

He was fairly popular, too. His voice was extremely soft and Kageyama found it quite calming. The best part was that he wasn’t too distracting. 

As weird as it sounded, when Kageyama was watching Kenma’s live-streams, it felt like he was with a friend. Despite the fact that they’d never met. 

Something about the comfortable way he addressed his audience, or that he never seemed to be faking his reactions made it just seem  _ real.  _

Some of his co-workers liked to tease Kageyama for his borderline obsessive watching habits, one specific asshole named Tsukishima going as far as to say that Kageyama had a crush on Kenma.

Kageyama had laughed him off. He was too  _ busy  _ to have a crush on anyone. And besides, Kenma wasn’t his type. 

Not that Kageyama  _ had  _ a type. He’d never liked anyone, not in that way. Sure, he knew that he was gay. He’d known since the day he realized that he wasn’t collecting sports magazines for the same reasons as his high school friends. 

But that was it. And ‘men’ couldn’t exactly be qualified as a ‘type’. 

Kageyama looked up from the chicken scratch he called handwriting when Kenma’s soft voice began to play through his speakers. 

“Hi everyone. It’s nice to see you all again,” Kenma said, looking at the camera. He launched into his little pregame introduction as Kageyama continued taking notes. 

Kageyama was studying for an English exam he had coming up. The problem was, he  _ sucked  _ at English. None of the words or phrases ever stuck in his head, and on most nights, he ended up just staring at the foreign language until his eyes hurt. 

The time passed quickly, with Kenma playing a solo round and Kageyama translating the complex phrasing of his textbook into layman’s terms. 

“Guys, watch this. This guy literally sucks ass. I’m gonna feint him out, just watch.” 

Focused silence. A spray of recorded gunfire. A soft grunt of victory from Kenma. 

Kageyama glanced up to see him spin his chair around in celebration. 

“I told you guys he was bad. Camping out in the western warehouse is the biggest sign you’re a beginner,” Kenma said. He leaned forward to read a donation off of his screen. 

“’You suck ass too.’ Thanks, Chemistry King. I appreciate the five bucks. You’re a real winner.” 

Kageyama chuckled. Some guy with the username ‘Chemistry King’ sent at least three donations every stream, usually with some kind of flirtatious remark thinly veiled as an insult.

Kageyama was a bit surprised that this ‘Chemistry King’ wasn’t flat out broke yet. He had to be Kenma’s main source of income from the streams at this point. 

Kageyama hoped for Kenma’s sake that the guy was an infatuated college student, and not some old guy sitting in a dark room, sending Kenma money. 

Maybe something would happen between them. Maybe Chemistry King would grow on Kenma. Or, more likely, he’d annoy him into going out. 

Kageyama never sent any donations. There were two main reasons behind that. 

First being that he was a broke college student, and the minute he got any extra cash from his job at the bakery, a video game live stream wasn’t the first place his mind went to to spend it. 

Second was that he simply had nothing to say. People like the Chemistry King used the donations as an excuse to speak directly to Kenma, negating the risk of getting lost in the fast moving chat. 

What would Kageyama say? ‘You’re cool’? ‘Nice headshot’? ‘I consider you one of my only friends, despite the fact that we’ve never met and you don’t know I exist’? 

Not exactly a winning comment. 

“I promised last time that I would try to play a round with my eyes closed. Even though that is fucking stupid. But I’ll try,” Kenma said. 

That round was over quickly. 

Kageyama chuckled to himself and refocused on his notes. 

He was stuck trying to figure out the definition of ‘anomalist’ when Kenma suddenly went quiet. 

Kageyama looked up, the lack of Kenma’s voice paired with recorded artificial gunfire somewhat jarring. 

Kenma had his headphones off and was leaning back to talk to someone out of frame. 

Kageyama rested his chin on his hand and watched interestedly. Kenma pulled his headphones back on and addressed the camera. 

“Guys, my roommate is here, he wants to say hello to you all,” Kenma said, scooting his office chair over. 

A grinning face popped into the screen. 

Kageyama felt his heart speed up in his chest. 

The boy had bright orange hair that bounced when he moved and massive brown eyes that made him look almost like a cartoon character. His nose was small and dusted with freckles. His smile was beaming and almost hurt Kageyama to look at. 

So.  _ This  _ was Kageyama’s type. 

“Hi guys! I’m Hinata Shouyou! I’m Kenma’s roommate and coolest friend!”

“You definitely aren’t the coolest,” Kenma mumbled, but he was smiling slightly. That was a rare sight for the boy. His usual expressions were boredom and rage. “And you’re just giving away your full name like that? Someone could, like, murder you.”

Hinata grinned and looked back at the screen. “I trust you guys!” 

The chat sped up, almost too fast for Kageyama’s eyes to follow. 

“You’re such an idiot,” Kenma said. 

“Don’t insult me in front of your viewers!” Hinata peered into a corner of his screen. “Uwaah, Kenma! You’ve got so many people watching you! And this chat moves so fast! How do you read it?” 

“Stop asking stupid questions, Shouyou. And it usually doesn’t go that fast, people are just excited ‘cause you’re here,” Kenma said softly. 

“Guys! I’m flattered!” Hinata laughed and Kageyama audibly gasped. 

It sounded like wind chimes and bells. It sounded like summer and sunshine. Kageyama never wanted him to stop laughing. He could have listened forever. 

“Shouyou, you’re gonna make all of my viewers fall in love with you. Now they won’t watch when it’s just me,” Kenma complained. 

Hinata laughed again and winked at the camera. Kageyama felt his pulse stutter. “Well, I am available ladies and gents! Maybe this just means I should be a special guest star on your streams, Kenma!” 

The chat was immediately flooded with variations of ‘yes’ and ‘please’ and ‘have my children.’ 

Kenma jabbed Hinata with his finger. “Don’t give him a big head, guys. He doesn’t need it. I guess I can bring him on again soon. But right now he needs to study.”

“Right, right. I just came to say hi. But I’ll come on soon! Maybe I’ll see if Kenma is still streaming when I finish this homework!”

_ Yes, please. Please come back.  _

Hinata waved his goodbyes and departed the screen. Kenma got situated in the middle of the frame again before reopening the main menu of his game and joining a new match. 

Kageyama stared at the screen for a second before flopping forward and burying his head in his folded arms. 

This was just his luck. His very first crush was gonna be on a guy he’d see on a gaming live stream a couple of times. How pathetic was that? 

Why couldn’t he have a normal crush, like on someone in one of his classes? Hell, even a co-worker would be better than this. And the thought of being infatuated with any of the people he worked with made his nose scrunch in disgust. 

But if Hinata was a part of his actual life, Kageyama knew he would be too spineless to approach him. 

But at least he would be able to watch from afar. He could learn things about him, study his face, learn what foods he liked to eat or what kind of people he enjoyed talking to. 

But this? This sucked. 

Because Kageyama was almost certain that there were other people watching who felt the same way that he did. And Hinata wasn’t thinking about any of them. 

Hinata probably had a normal crush. He probably liked someone who he saw on a regular basis, you know, like a normal person would. 

Not like Kageyama’s crush on someone he’d literally seen for five minutes, who didn’t even know he existed.

He buried his face further into the crook of his elbow, trying very hard not to think about the way his face was flushing. 

There was no way he could refocus on his homework now. Not with thoughts of cute boys with fluffy hair and big eyes swimming through his mind. 

Kageyama groaned and sat back up, throwing his head back and staring up at the ceiling. 

He needed to think about this calmly. He needed to analyze the situation and determine a solution. 

First, he needed to state the facts. 

Fact: He had, or was developing, a crush on Hinata Shouyou. 

Fact: Hinata Shouyou did not, and would never, know that Kageyama existed. 

Fact: He needed Kenma’s streams to study. 

Fact: If Hinata showed up, his focus was messed up for the rest of his study session. 

Fact: Kageyama was completely and totally fucked. 

He looked back at Kenma, who had his eyes screwed up in a look of intense concentration. Somewhere in Kenma’s house, Hinata was there. 

Hinata was doing homework just like Kageyama. 

No, not  _ just  _ like Kageyama. 

Hinata was probably focusing and not daydreaming about a guy he’s seen once in his entire life. 

Kageyama knew that he wasn’t going to be able to regain his previous focus, but the lingering thought that Hinata might show up in Kenma’s stream again kept him from shutting his laptop. 

Instead, he carried it into the kitchen, where he flipped on the kettle to make some tea to calm his jumpy nerves. 

While he waited, he cleaned up his broke-college-kid noodle dinner and washed his chopsticks. 

“Guys, if you keep saying gross things in the chat about my roommate, I’m not gonna bring him back on.”

Kageyama felt his stomach drop as he practically skidded across the floor to his laptop. 

He scrolled up through the chat a bit and winced. 

Some people were truly disgusting. 

He felt a pull in his chest, like a desire to protect Hinata from the creeps and weirdos of the world. He stared at the vulgar words until they began to blur. 

He was angry at a bunch of anonymous usernames for objectifying someone he didn’t even know. 

How was it that he felt this strongly so fast? How was that possible? 

All Kageyama knew was that he wanted to punch a wall. With what little self control he had left, he scrolled back down to the most recent chats, most of which were apologizing and asking for Hinata to come back. 

Kenma grumbled something about creeps. “Yeah, I know he’s cool. But some of you can be shockingly vulgar in a public chat.”

Kageyama ran a hand through his hair. It was like in grade school, where a couple of students would make trouble and the teacher would hold the whole class back from recess. 

“Okay, thank you guys for apologizing- no, Chemistry King you don’t need to yell at them for me- I do appreciate it, but that’s- Oh, no, actually you can yell at that guy. Thank you,” Kenma said. 

Kageyama sighed heavily as he leaned forward on his elbows. If anything, this just further proved that Hinata was out of Kageyama’s grasp. 

Because for every creepy or flirtatious comment, there had to be five more people who were thinking similar things. 

Kageyama was one of thousands. Five minutes was all it had taken for this little ball of sunshine to build up a fanbase. And Kageyama was just one of the crowd. 

Kenma pulled his headphones off and leaned back again. Kageyama’s pulse began to speed. 

Kenma returned to the camera and redonned his mic. 

“Alright, guys, Shouyou needs to go to work so he can’t play today, but he wants to say goodbye to everyone.” Kenma leaned forward. “Don’t be creepy.” 

Hinata’s face popped into the upper corner of the screen. Kageyama felt his heart stutter and skip a beat. 

His smile was just as wide and his eyes were just as sparkly. 

How could a real person's eyes even be sparkly? That shouldn’t be possible. But something about Hinata’s eyes just glimmered with genuine happiness. 

“Hi again, guys! I have to go to work now, but if you guys bug Kenma enough, I’m sure he’ll let me come on the stream for real soon! Nice to meet you all!” Hinata winked and dipped back out of the frame. 

Kageyama felt like he was about to pass out. Probably because he’d been unknowingly holding his breath from the second Hinata’s grinning face had shown up again. 

He released the air with a huff and groaned to himself. Hinata talking about going to work reminded Kageyama that he had work as well, which meant he’d need to leave soon. No more last minute studying. 

He glanced at the clock. It was four o’clock on the dot. He had to be at the bakery by five at the latest, and that was if he wanted Tsukishima to make snarky comments about his tardiness about him all afternoon. 

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Kageyama closed his laptop and brought his computer back to his bedroom to charge it while he was gone. 

He glanced down at the flecks of broth on his shirt before pulling it off and grabbing a sweater, then a pair of black jeans. 

He walked back to the front room and snagged his coat from it’s place on the wall. The owner of the bakery he worked at, Sugawara Koushi, otherwise known as Suga, had seen Kageyama’s closet of jerseys and sports jackets and taken it upon himself to give Kageyama some form of style. 

He looked down at the white knitted sweater, dark grey coat, and black jeans he was wearing. Honestly, it wasn’t like he was any less comfortable, so there was no harm to improving his wardrobe. 

Suga said it made him look better, but Kageyama wasn’t sure if he believed him. At the very least, he looked less like an American frat boy. 

The second Kageyama stepped out of the apartment building, he tugged the collar of his coat up to his chin. The January weather was bitingly cold, nipping at his exposed nose and ears.

He was sure his cheeks would be red when he got to work, something Tsukishima would also be quick to poke fun at.

Kageyama hoped Yamaguchi would be in. The smiley, freckled boy was Tsukishima’s childhood friend and the only one capable of getting him to back off. 

The walk to the bakery wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but it was cold. As he turned onto the final block, he kept his eyes steadily forward. 

The bakery was just across the street from a bar, and the bouncer always gave him chills when they made eye contact, so Kageyama always tried not to look directly at him. 

It was in this quest to keep his eyes forward that he noticed someone standing outside of the door to the bakery, looking a little lost. 

“Excuse me. Can I help you?” Kageyama asked when he neared him. 

The man turned, a bit startled. He was tall and fit, with close cropped brown hair and warm eyes. He had a package in his hands and was wearing the post office’s uniform. 

“Is that for the Black Crow Bakery? I work there, I can bring it in,” Kageyama said, reaching out a hand. 

The man looked conflicted, but he ultimately gave Kageyama the package with a polite, “Have a nice day.” 

Kageyama stared a bit at his retreating figure as the man walked off. Inexplicably, he had the strange feeling that he was being watched. 

_ What a strange interaction,  _ Kageyama thought to himself. He pushed open the door and was greeted by Suga, who was leaning on the counter. 

“Suga-san, there was a mailman standing outside. He had a package so I took it in for him. It was kinda weird,” Kageyama explained, holding out the brown wrapped box. 

Suga stared at him for a second before bringing a karate chop down onto his head. 

“Kageyama, you cockblocker!”

“What?” Kageyama spluttered, rubbing at the top of his head. 

“Was he tall? Buff? Handsome?” Kageyama nodded which made Suga groan and throw his head back dramatically. “Me and that mailman have been flirting for  _ days,  _ Kageyama! He’s the guy that delivers our ingredients when we run out of the small stuff!” 

“Is that why we’ve had so many eggs recently?”

Suga scowled. “It was the only way I could get him to come back every day.”

Yamaguchi peaked his head in from the back room. “Don’t worry, Kageyama. I did it too a couple of days ago.” 

Suga put his head on the counter. “Fate is keeping me and the hot mailman apart!” 

Tsukishima’s head appeared above Yamaguchi’s. “Isn’t the owner of a business supposed to be super responsible?” 

Suga blindly waved a hand behind him. “I’m your boss, you have to be nice to me,” he said, voice muffled by his elbow. 

Yamaguchi snickered, then looked up to see Tsukishima furrowing his eyebrows down at him. This only prompted Yamaguchi to laugh harder. 

Kageyama would never understand how such a kind, gentle, giggly guy would want to be friends with a walking stick in the mud like Tsukishima. 

Something about him just grounded Kageyama’s gears. Maybe it was all the annoyingly cynical comments he made. 

“So, Kageyama. How was your date with that gamer guy?” Tsukishima asked snarkily. 

Yeah. It was definitely the snide comments. 

Kageyama glared at him. “You’re the worst, Shittyshima. I just watch his streams when I study, you dickwad.”

Tsukishima chuckled. “Keep telling yourself that, loverboy.” Then he disappeared back into the other room. 

“I’m sorry about him, Kageyama. You just don’t have much to make fun of, so he clings on to what he has,” Yamaguchi explained, a smile playing on his lips. 

Kageyama scoffed at that. He was glad that him and Tsukishima stayed in the back room during shifts, because if he found out how socially awkward Kageyama was around customers, he’d probably never stop laughing. 

It was a blessing that Tsukishima didn’t know about Kageyama’s newfound crush on a guy he’d seen online twice. 

He would never live it down. 

So it was better to just try and forget about Hinata now. Quit now and spare himself the pain later. Because there was no way that Hinata was going to somehow meet him, get to know him, and then  _ like  _ him. 

Kageyama could find another streamer, even if it would be hard. It wasn’t worth knowing that his concentration would be shot if he so much as caught a glimpse of Hinata Shouyou. 

But the thought of never seeing the orange haired boy was almost a physical pain in Kageyama’s chest. 

His grades were shit already. It wasn’t as if they could get  _ worse.  _ So what if Hinata showed up every once in a while and ruined his focus? 

Kageyama knew that Kenma’s streams were the only thing keeping him from completely flunking. Somehow, that boy was a miracle worker for his study habits. 

And if he was being completely honest with himself? Shitty concentration was completely worth it, if it meant he got to see Hinata Shouyou again. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a day in the life of hinata shouyou!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love writing dual povs so i knew i’d have to do it in this story too! plus i just love writing both hinata and kageyama so much i’m not sure i could give either of them up
> 
> thank you for all the kudos already?? you guys are inflating my ego. and the kind comments! you are all too much. you’re the reason i’m so inspired to write more! i love you all!

Hinata Shouyou had a big problem. 

He had a crush on the baker who worked across the street. 

Now, that may not seem like a big problem at first. But Hinata had never met this baker. He did not know this baker’s name. They had never made eye contact before. 

Hinata worked as a bartender at Ukai’s Tavern, which was a vaguely high end bar, run by Hinata’s high school volleyball coach, who offered him a job after he graduated. 

And across the street was the Black Crow Bakery. When Hinata had first started, he hadn’t paid the little bakery much mind, thinking that maybe he could pop in for a treat every now and again. 

Then the extremely handsome dark haired baker had shown up.

Hinata had gotten to the bar early for his shift to cover for one of his coworkers. It had felt a bit weird, showing up so early, but as he’d been pulling up to the curb in his old car,  _ he  _ had turned the corner up the street. 

He had dark hair and piercing blue eyes that were trained ahead of him. He wore a knitted black sweater and black jeans. He had his hands in his pockets, which made him look somehow  _ cooler.  _ He was unbelievably attractive. 

Hinata had stayed in his car like a coward as the handsome man walked swiftly into the bakery. 

At first, Hinata had assumed that he was a customer, probably buying a sweet treat for a beautiful girlfriend or something. But then, when Hinata was chatting with their bouncer, Ushijima, during his break, he noticed Handsome Man leaving the bakery. It must have been nine at night, so unless he was incredibly indecisive about cakes, he worked there. 

Hinata had practically melted. An unbelievably attractive guy who could bake? That was Hinata’s  _ dream.  _

But he had never even glanced at the bar across the street from him. So Hinata just made lots of trips to chat with Ushijima when he took breaks, just to try and catch a glimpse of the dark haired baker through the big windows in the front of the store. 

From what Hinata had gathered, there were five people working there. The dark haired baker, a blonde grumpy beanpole, a freckled guy that Hinata would rather like to befriend, a tall intimidating man with a bun, and a gentle looking guy with silver hair. 

Handsome Baker rarely spent any time in the front of the bakery, so Hinata only saw him on occasion. 

Like today. Today, Hinata was sitting on the ledge that jutted out from the low window as he chatted with Ushijima about the recent volleyball game their favorite team had played, when  _ he  _ rounded the corner. 

Hinata watched as he strode forward with his hands in his pockets, looking unfairly attractive. He stopped when he noticed the mailman outside of the bakery. 

Hinata giggled into his fist. 

“Ushi, Ushi. Watch!” 

Ushijima looked at Hinata, confused, before turning to the scene across the street. 

The dark haired baker stuck out his hand for the package, which the mailman handed over after a few long seconds. 

The mailman walked away, obviously dejected. The baker stared after him, seemingly confused. 

Hinata watched through the window as he walked into the bakery and tried to hand over the box, but the grey-haired man just hit him over the head and slumped onto the counter. 

“I don’t understand,” Ushijima said. 

Hinata laughed. 

“You’re lucky you’re so handsome, big guy. See the silver haired guy in there? He and the mailman have been flirting everyday. But that black haired guy didn’t realize and totally ruined it.”

“So, by not being able to take the package inside of the bakery, the mailman couldn’t flirt with the man who works there?” Ushijima could be a little slow, but Hinata loved to talk, so he didn’t mind explaining things. 

Besides, Ushijima was incredibly intelligent when it came to volleyball, so his mind was good where it mattered. 

“Exactly!”

“Why wouldn’t he just go in anyways?” Ushijima asked, turning his head to face Hinata. 

“I dunno. Some people are just… bad at approaching the people they like I guess. Maybe he’s scared.” 

Hinata wasn’t sure if he was talking about the mailman anymore. 

He stared at the dark haired baker as he bickered with the blond beanpole before just standing, arms crossed with a scowl on his face. 

Hinata sighed and jumped off of the ledge, saying goodbye to Ushijima before making his way back inside. 

The bar wasn’t anywhere near full, but there were enough people there for Hinata to have to weave through the crowds to get behind the bar proper. 

Hinata waved to Noya and Tanaka, who were cleaning some glasses. They grinned and waved back. 

He shrugged off his jacket and unbuttoned the collar of his work uniform, the January weather entirely overturned by their manager’s overuse of the heating system. 

His belief was the warmer a patron is, the thirstier they’ll be, and the more drinks they’ll buy. 

But when it came to Oikawa Tooru, Hinata was pretty sure it was just so that he could get away with unbuttoning as many buttons on his shirt as he could. 

Hinata sidled himself next to his fellow employees before grabbing the nearest glass and his hand towel. 

“Oh, Shouyou, I saw you on Kenma’s stream today!” Noya said enthusiastically. 

“You watched?!” Hinata replied, equally stunned and excited. 

“Of course! I love the little kitty cat man! He’s great for, like, background noise,” Noya explained. 

“Oh, oh! Like  _ ambiance!”  _ Tanaka chimed in. 

“Good one, man!” Noya gave him a high five. 

Hinata chuckled to himself. Working at Ukai’s tavern certainly never got boring. Once, during a really slow night, Noya and Tanaka had convinced Ushijima that Oikawa was a contestant on an American reality TV show, and he’d believed them. 

Then they’d ‘forgotten’ to tell him that it was a joke, leading to a hilariously awkward conversation between Ushijima and their manager. 

“Hinata, Hinata! Let me tell you about what happened to me today! I was walking by the flower shop again, and Kiyoko  _ looked at me! _ It was the most magical, wonderful, stupendous moment of my short life,” Tanaka said, flailing the fragile glass around as he spoke. His eyes were practically hearts.

Kiyoko was a beautiful woman who worked as a florist a few buildings down from Ukai’s. Occasionally, she would accidentally glance in the direction of either of the boys, which would fuel them for days. 

Hinata crouched down to put away the glass he’d been cleaning under the counter, but paused. 

He looked up at Noya and Tanaka. “Guys, you put the pint glasses away wrong again!” 

Noya looked down, embarrassment etched into his features. 

“Shit! I was so sure I’d done it right this time! Tanaka, I’m blaming you,” he said, pointing a finger at his friend. 

“I can do it,” Hinata said. He knew that if they started competing over who could correctly put them away faster, Hinata would be unable to stop himself from joining. Then there would be broken glasses and cut up hands and hell to pay. 

“Really?” Tanaka asked, leaning over Noya to look down at him. Hinata smiled and shrugged, before beginning his task. 

Noya and Tanaka continued chatting above him while Hinata reorganized the glasses. 

“Excuse me,” a deep, velvety voice spoke from above the bar. Thanks to Hinata's position on the floor, he couldn’t see who it belonged to, but it sure was attractive. 

“Hey, you work at that bakery, don’t you! The one across the street!” Tanaka said. 

Hinata froze in the middle of reaching for another glass. 

It couldn’t be. Could it?

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m Kageyama Tobio.”

A hand extended into Hinata’s field of vision. It was definitely the jacket he’d seen the dark haired baker in before. 

His hands were pale and his fingers were very long. Hinata could see the calluses on his palms. 

“Kageyama, huh? Well, I’m Tanaka, and this is Nishinoya. What can I do for you? Are you looking for a drink?” 

Hinata pressed himself further into the bar. He couldn’t face him. He was too much of a coward. He knew that now, faced with opportunity, but turning it down. 

Hinata was typically a very sociable person. He had no qualms about joining a livestream with tens of thousands of people watching, just smiling, winking, cracking a joke. 

But showing his face to his crush that’d he’d only ever admired from afar? That was too much for him right now. 

“Oh, no. No drink. My boss sent me over to see if you guys have any lemons. We would only need two, but it would save us a trip to the store. We would pay you, of course.” 

_God, his voice is hot._

Hinata wasn’t the only one to think so, apparently.

“Oh, it’s no problem  _ at all,”  _ a sultry voice said from above Hinata. He looked up so suddenly he almost banged his head against the low counter. 

Oikawa Tooru, manager of Ukai’s Tavern was standing above him, one hand braced on the bar, the other on his hip. 

“Oh, uh, great. Thanks,” Kageyama said. He sounded awkward, probably because of Oikawa’s thinly veiled attempts at flirting. 

Noya appeared from the back room, startling Hinata, who had been so distracted he hadn’t even realized that the short man had walked away. 

With a shake of his head, Hinata returned to sorting the glasses. If he was going to be too much of a coward to face his no-longer-nameless crush, he at least needed a valid excuse. 

“Here you go, Kageyama!” Noya rose on his toes to lean over the counter, three lemons in his hands. “I threw in an extra. They’re on the house!”

“See you around, Baker-kun,” Oikawa said, fluttering his fingers. 

“Uh, yeah. Thank you,” Kageuama said. 

The minute Hinata heard the door swing shut, he breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. His heart was hammering in his throat and his palms were sweating. 

Oikawa looked down at him. “Whatcha doing, Chibi-chan?” 

Noya lifted his hand up. “I put away the pint glasses wrong and Hinata offered to do it right!” 

Oikawa smiled. “Good on you, shrimpy!” 

Hinata smiled back. At first, he’d thought Oikawa was being rude when he called him names like that, but in reality, he just really hated calling people by their actual names. 

No one knew why, but everyone had a nickname. And Hinata’s were about his height. He tried not to mind too much. 

As Oikawa walked away, Hinata straightened back up, peering around the shoulder of a patron to try and see the bakery. 

He watched as the dark haired baker, who Hinata now knew was named Kageyama, pulled open the door and walked behind the counter to be greeted by the grey haired man slapping him on the back. 

If Hinata had to guess, this social interaction was punishment from that guy for ruining his daily flirt with the mailman. Hinata chuckled softly to himself. 

“What are you laughing at?” Noya asked.

Hinata felt himself flush. “Oh, nothing. Just remembered a joke someone told me,” he said, still staring across the street. 

The grey haired man had ruffled Kageyama’s hair, and he was now desperately working to smooth it down. 

He looked adorably flustered, even from far away. 

Hinata sighed and got back to work. 

  
  


—————

  
  


“Kenma, I’m home!” Hinata sang out as he walked through the front door. 

“Oh. Hi, Shouyou,” Kenma replied in his usual quiet voice. He was lying with his legs dangling off the side of the couch, Nintendo Switch held above his head. 

“How was your day?” Hinata asked while he toed off his shoes in the entryway. 

“Fine. I guess. People really want you back on there stream soon,” Kenma said, not looking up from his game. 

“Really? That’s so cool! I wonder why?” Hinata gushed. The question was mostly rhetorical, but Kenma answered anyway. 

“Probably because you’ve got sunshine so far up your ass it’s coming out of your mouth.”

Hinata gasped with dramatized offense. Kenma glanced up at him and exhaled a small laugh through his nose. 

“I’m kinda surprised, to tell you the truth. I figure if they’re watching you, they wouldn’t really be into me. You know, cause you’re so… cool and stuff,” Hinata said, slumping into the comfortable armchair and leaning his head back. 

“You should have seen the chat. Well, after all the gross people stopped commenting. But that’s not really anything new, there’s always gross people.” 

“How do you deal with it, Kenma? You know, all the nasty things people say!” Hinata asked. 

“The mean things are better than the vulgar things. At least with the jerks I can just say they’re projecting their own insecurities on me. But the gross comments… I just try to ignore them the best that I can.” 

“Plus, you’ll always have the Chemistry King to defend you!” Hinata exclaimed. Kenma turned red and averted his eyes back to his game. 

Hinata sprung up from his seat. 

“What?! What happened?” 

“Nothing! Nothing happened!” Kenma said defensively, covering his face with his arms. 

“No! Something happened! This is the most emotion I’ve seen you produce in… ever! What is it? Is it the Chemistry King?” Hinata was jumping up and down at this point. 

“It’s not a big deal, Shouyou. I just dmed him and asked what his name was, is all. That’s it,” Kenma said, the sound muffled from the protective cage of his arms. 

“ _ What?!”  _ Hinata shrieked. 

“It’s not a big deal!” Kenma repeated. 

“ _ You  _ made the first move!” Hinata said excitedly. 

“No one is making any moves!” Kenma said, peeking out from behind his hand. “And if we were, Kuroo definitely made the first one.”

_ “Kuroo?!” _

“Shit!” Kenma hid back behind his arms again. 

“Chemistry King Kuroo. Rolls right off the tongue!” Hinata sat back down and leaned forward with his chin on his hands. “So, are we sure he’s not a creepy old guy?” 

“I mean, he used these stupid cat emoticons when we were talking. So probably.”

“Talking? Like a conversation?”

“Kind of?” Kenma responded. 

“How do you  _ kind of  _ have a conversation with someone? You either do or you don’t!” 

“Oh, and I’m sure you’re having lots of conversations with the  _ baker,  _ aren't you Shouyou?”

That shut Hinata up. 

“He came into the bar today. He needed lemons,” Hinata said quietly. 

“And,” Kenma prompted. 

“And I hid under the counter,” Hinata confessed, hanging his head. 

“Yeah. I thought so.”

“I want to change the subject now,” Hinata said, flopping back onto the armchair. 

Kenma let out a huff of air. “Do you want to come on the stream tomorrow?” He asked, turning back to his game. 

“Sure! I’m not very good at the game you’re playing right now, though,” Hinata said thoughtfully. 

Kenma waved a hand at him without looking up. “It’s better if we play on teams anyway. Less confusing.” 

“Great! Well, I have to finish studying, but I’ll see you tomorrow! Don’t stay up too late,” Hinata said while he got up. 

Kenma scoffed. 

  
  
  


——————

  
  


“Do you need a glass of water or something? I usually have one. Have you used the bathroom?”

“Kenma, you already brought me water. And, yes, I did, thank you, mom.”

“Sorry, I just don’t want you to like… piss your pants on live. That would suck,” Kenma explained, looking away. 

Hinata giggled and watched as Kenma fiddled with the monitor and camera. 

After getting the green light from Hinata, he started the stream. 

“Hi everyone. Thanks for joining today. If you haven’t noticed, this is my roommate, Hinata. He’s gonna be joining us for today’s stream.” 

Kenma gestured a hand to Hinata, who waved excitedly. 

“Hi, guys! Whatever you did worked, because I’m here! Fair warning, I’m not as good at Kenma. By like a mile. But I’m here to have fun!” 

“Today is just gonna be a tutorial on how to carry someone, basically,” Kenma deadpanned. 

Hinata jabbed him with two fingers. “I can pull my own weight! Just watch!”

Hinata could not pull his own weight. 

But that didn’t meant he didn’t have fun. 

More often than not, his horrible fails would send him into a fit of laughter. The chat would cheer them on and Kenma would win for them both. Hinata would applaud him. This was how most rounds went.

At one point, Hinata was trying to run away from an enemy when he blindly plunged off of a building and died of fall damage.

He’d laughed so hard his ribs hurt, and Kenma eventually died too, distracted by the fact that he was laughing as well. 

Hinata snorted as a notification popped up onto the screen. “‘I can’t believe he actually laughed. It feels like a Christmas miracle’,” Hinata read. “Chemistry King, it’s Christmas in January!” 

“Oi, fuck off, both of you,” Kenma said, trying to sound threatening, but failing when he started to chuckle again. 

After they’d both calmed down and regained their breath, Kenma leaned forward to read another notification from a donation. “Thank you, Kaito23. ‘How can I win over Chibi-chan?’ That’s a question for you, Shouyou.” Kenma turned his head to face him. 

Hinata tapped his chin in thought. “Hmmm… Well first thing is that my boss calls me Chibi-chan, so maybe a new nickname? That would be the first step,” he joked, before whipping his finger up, like a lightbulb had just gone off. “I know! Sweet things! Like cookies, or cakes, or stuff like that!” 

Maybe that was just because Hinata wanted someone  _ specific  _ to bring him cakes, but no one on the stream had to know that. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you’d  _ love _ someone to make you cookies,” Kenma said, a little smugly. Hopefully no one heard the meaning behind it, but even if they did, they wouldn’t understand. 

Hinata elbowed him. “Be careful, Kenma. I might have to bring out the big guns this next round!”

“Idiot, we’re on the same team. You literally can’t shoot me.”

“Oh. Right.” Hinata let out another laugh. “I guess I’ll just have to turn the big guns against the other players!”

He lost within two minutes. 

“‘You finally found someone worse than you’. Wow, Chemistry King, for someone sending us money, you are awfully cocky,” Hinata grinned. 

He liked this Kuroo. He would be good for Kenma. 

Especially because he seemed like a total nerd. 

“Okay, while Kenma wins another round for me, I want some entertainment! Say something in the chat! I’ll try to read some.” Hinata smiled again and leaned forward on his fists. 

“Alright, we have some people- wow, a lot of people are saying things! Okay, ‘How old are you?’ I am twenty-one! ‘Is your hair naturally that color?’ Yes, yes it is, NekoMan, I like your username! ‘Can I bake you cookies?’ I’m not sure how the logistics work out there, but if you make them, I’ll eat them in spirit!”

Kenma exploded a spray of gunfire and the screen flashed with a message of victory. Silently, he held his hand up for a high-five, which Hinata gladly accepted. 

The stream began to wrap up quicker than Hinata would have liked. He really did enjoy hanging out with Kenma, and he would be lying if he said that being cheered on by tens of thousands of people, even digitally, wasn’t exhilarating. 

“Thank you all for letting me be a special guest star! I really had a lot of fun, even if I’m not great.” Then Hinata stepped back to let Kenma do his usual sign off, talking to the camera before giving a small wave and turning off the camera. 

“Whew! That was fun!” Hinata exclaimed, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t believe this is your job, Kenma! This is so cool!” 

“It’s… Uh, it’s more fun when you’re here. It’s not usually this great,” Kenma mumbled. 

“A compliment from Kenma?! I’m gonna tell Kuroo!” Hinata teased, sticking his tongue out. 

“I’ll shove this controller down your throat. Really, I will.” Kenma looked at him from beneath his eyelashes. A piece of two toned hair fell into eyes. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Hinata squealed as he dashed back into the living room. “Don’t attack me! I need to go to work soon!” 

Kenma appeared in the hall, looking incredibly ominous for someone so short. 

But Hinata remembered when Kenma’s highschool teammate, Lev, had visited when he was in town. 

Kenma could be a terrifying guy if he wanted to be. 

Hinata glanced at his phone. If he left now, he could have a conversation with Ushijima before his shift started, which was enough of an incentive to change into his work clothes, grab his shoes and head out the door. 

What had started as a way to sneakily watch for Kageyama- it sent a thrill through Hinata to put a name to the face- has blossomed into an actual friendship. 

They both liked volleyball, both rooted for the same teams, and Hinata  _ loved _ hearing stories of the farm Ushijima had grown up on. 

Hinata pulled onto the side street by the bar, executing a very shitty parallel parking job before giving up and leaving the car where it was, at least twenty centimeters from the curb. 

Hinata strolled inside the bar to hang his jacket up and waved to Noya, who had worked the afternoon shift. 

The bar was already warm, so Hinata undid his usual button at the collar, running a hand through his hair. 

He bounced outside and walked over to Ushijima, sitting on his usual place on the ledge. 

“What’s up, Ushi?” 

“Hello, Hinata. A new cow was just born back home. My mother told me to tell you, since you enjoyed hearing about the piglets so much,” Ushijima said, his deep voice sounding very out of place saying the word ‘piglet’. 

Hinata giggled and nodded, listening intently. 

He was so wrapped up in the story of a new baby cow that he didn’t even noticed when Kageyama turned the corner and stopped in his tracks, staring wide eyed at the red headed bartender. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeheehee i wonder what might happen next??? who knows?!?
> 
> oikawa is a little bit of a prissy bitch in this fic lmao i swear i love him (if you want oikawa as kageyama’s mother, go read my other fic they have a family dynamic that i love) but i wanted to switch things up in this! 
> 
> i’m glad you all like daisuga as kyle and paulette as much as i do. their plotline will develop as well next chapter!
> 
> p.s. don’t question why ushijima is always available to have conversations. it’s called a plot device and i’m not afraid to use it


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kageyama has set his eyes on hinata (in more ways than one)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> teehee me write overthinking kageyama make me feel validated 
> 
> sorry it’s a kind of a shorter chapter! i’ll try to make it up to you guys soon :-)
> 
> thank you all for commenting nice things!!! whenever i see the little email notification that’s like “someone commented” my face literally does this 😃

Kageyama was going to fail biology. 

He didn’t know what he was supposed to be studying right now. He honestly wasn’t convinced he had the textbook open to the right page. They all looked the same!

And how was he supposed to write his stupid essay when _Hinata_ was there, laughing, smiling, talking. 

How was Kageyama supposed to create functioning, intelligent sentences when Hinata was _right there?!_

Of course, he wasn’t right there. He was somewhere else, maybe in Tokyo, maybe in Miyagi, where Kageyama had grown up. 

Maybe he and his roommate were two Japanese students on exchange in America! Or England! 

So, no, Hinata was not really _right there_ , but it was close enough. 

He was on Kageyama’s computer screen, laughing and joking around, reading off questions and giving answers. It was like he was working the crowd. 

But something about it made Kageyama’s blood boil. He didn’t want everyone else to learn those things about him. He wanted to learn them himself. 

He wanted to know that Hinata’s favorite color was blue because Hinata told _him,_ not because he was responding to another stranger. 

But that was the way things were. Hinata would stay in the computer, untouchable, while Kageyama pined from his living room. 

On his screen, Kenma gave the camera a small wave and Hinata grinned before the screen went dark. 

Kageyama’s head hit the table with a resounding thud.

_Sweet things! Like cookies or cakes!_

Fantastic. Now, that would be the only thing Kageyama would be able to think about while he was at the job he needed to pay the bills. 

Suga was a good boss, even if he forced Kageyama to interact with people. He would probably let a day’s worth of sloppy focus slide. 

But it wouldn’t hurt to get there early, since he would probably need to take breaks. Lots of breaks. He was already imagining what it would be like to make cookies with slender arms wrapping around his waist, running his hand through orange hair as he stirred-

Nope. He couldn’t let that train of thought go any farther. 

Kageyama shrugged a sweater on and made his way out the door. 

The wind was still biting, making him pull his collar up defensively against the chill. 

He tried to think about different things. 

Like, yesterday, when Suga had made him walk across the street to get lemons from the bar. The scary looking bouncer was still intimidating, but when Kageyama had explained what he needed, he had just nodded and let him in with no fuss. 

Maybe he wasn’t as terrifying as Kageyama had made him out to be. 

And the two bartenders were nice enough. Maybe a bit energetic, but they seemed alright. Definitely people Kageyama could get to know if he was forced to. 

And, of course, there was Oikawa Tooru. Kageyama wasn’t blind. He knew that Oikawa was attractive. His hair was perfectly coiffed, his shirt was unbuttoned just enough to show skin, but not enough for it to be immodest. 

Oikawa knew exactly what he looked like, and he was able to use it to its full potential. 

And to be completely honest? Kageyama was a little bit afraid of him. Just a bit, but… still. 

Oikawa was just so _confident,_ with his flirtatious voice and fluttering fingers. 

Besides, Oikawa wasn’t Kageyama’s type. 

You know, the type that consists of easily excitable redheads with freckles and massive smiles who like sweet things and suck at first person shooters. 

Kageyama sighed heavily, earning a strange look from the businessman who was walking past him on the street. 

Suga was always telling him to get out more, to put himself out into the world. Make friends. 

Kageyama supposed he could start by acknowledging the bouncer who wasn’t as scary as he seemed. 

That wouldn’t be _too_ awful, would it? 

So Kageyama turned the corner, his eyes seeking out Ukai’s Tavern. 

He stopped in his tracks. 

Sitting on a window ledge, swinging his legs and laughing at something the bouncer was saying, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world, was Hinata Shouyou. 

No, that couldn’t be right.

His mind was playing tricks on him. This was some other redhead, with the same hairstyle, and the same bracelet on his wrist, and the same stupid shoes he’d shown on off on the stream. 

It was someone else. 

Hinata pulled a leg up to his chest, wrapping a small hand around the ankle and laying his cheek on his knee. 

It was not someone else. 

Kageyama just stood there, blinking. 

His mind took an embarrassingly long time to catch up. 

Hinata was wearing the same shirt that the bartenders inside had been wearing yesterday. Did he work there? Had he been across the street this whole time? 

Just a few steps away?

This was when Kageyama realized that he hadn’t moved in at last thirty seconds. Also, he was staring. Thankfully, neither Hinata nor the bouncer had noticed him. 

So, with his heart hammering in his throat and his stomach doing backflips, he shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground as he walked. 

It was like this that Kageyama ran into a tall body ahead of him. 

Startled, he looked up to see the same mailman from the day before. 

Kageyama looked down at the package, then through the window at Suga, who was carefully looking away. 

“I’m sorry, that was my fault. And I… won’t take the package inside for you,” Kageyama said slowly. 

The man exhaled in relief. Kageyama opened the door for him, not daring to look behind him at the redhead he knew was just across the street. 

He needed to be alone. He needed to find a quiet place to process this, a place away from Suga and his love life. 

Suga cleared his throat and Kageyama snapped his head up, realizing a second too late that he was standing between them. Hurriedly, he sidestepped out of the line of fire and dashed into the bathroom. 

Once inside, he locked the door against any nosy guys who were too tall and would make fun of him. 

He slid down the wall until he was seated, knees pulled up to his chest. 

So. 

Hinata Shouyou was _not,_ in fact, an exchange student in America. He lived in Tokyo. 

And he worked across the street. 

Kageyama hadn’t seen him yesterday, when he’d gone in requesting lemons. He closed his eyes and replayed the scene in his mind. 

Short guy with blonde streak, bald guy, fancy guy.

But no energetic redheads, that much was certain. 

Maybe Hinata had just started to work there? But the conversation he’d been having with he bouncer didn’t seem like the stilted talk of a new employee. Kageyama would have recognized that. Lord knows he’d done it himself a number of times. 

So. The answer was simple. 

Hinata had been working across the street and Kageyama had never noticed. 

Kageyama gripped his hair. 

_How?_

_How_ had he never noticed? 

Was he that stupid? That blind? 

Kageyama released the iron grip on his hair and let his head fall back against the wall. 

Well, what the fuck was he supposed to go now?

With any luck, Hinata was equally as oblivious to Kageyama’s existence. 

Because he’d thought about this before. 

_Even if Hinata was a part of my life, I’d be too afraid to do anything about it._

And he was. 

He was afraid. 

Because Hinata was this ray of sunshine, this smiley, funny, overly competitive dream. 

Kageyama didn’t quite know how to smile. He was angry most of the time. He was a perfectionist, he stayed at the bakery til midnight working on orders some nights. 

Hinata deserved someone who could smile as wide as he did. 

With a heavy breath, Kageyama stood up and walked to the sink, trying desperately to ignore the fact that his legs were shaking, just a bit. 

He splashed some water onto his face and after patting it dry, he walked back out to the front of the bakery. 

Suga had his elbows braced on his side of the counter, looking up at the mailman from under his eyelashes. The tension around them felt palpable. 

Kageyama rolled his eyes in an attempt to hide his jealousy. Flirtation came so easily to some people. 

He glanced across the street to see Hinata waving his goodbyes to the bouncer before pulling the door of the bar open and walking inside. 

Kageyama honestly couldn’t believe that he’d never noticed Hinata. 

Not just the past few days of his infatuation, but _ever?_ Sure, when Kageyama started this job, he wasn’t in the best mental state. He wasn’t surprised that he’d never noticed him then. 

But he’d been at the bakery for almost a year. 

It felt borderline ridiculous. 

“Kageyama?” 

He turned to Suga, who sounded just a bit breathless. 

“Huh?” 

Suga turned his head to face him without taking his eyes off of the man before him. 

“Daichi here has invited us to drinks!” Suga said. 

Daichi must be the mailman.

“Who’s ‘us’?” Kageyama asked, feeling a bit of trepidation. 

“You, me, Asahi, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima… you know, the employees? After we close tonight.” Suga still hadn’t broken eye contact. 

“Oh. Uh, sure, I guess. You’ll have to ask them, though,” Kageyama said, desperately wanting to stop being a part of the conversation. 

“Great!” Suga exclaimed. “Daichi will meet us here at nine, then.” 

“Why wouldn’t he just meet us at the bar?” Kageyama asked. 

Daichi responded this time. “Well, I figured we could just go across the street,” he explained. 

_Oh._

The air left Kageyama’s lungs and his stomach dropped. He started to choke on nothing, somehow summoning Yamaguchi from the kitchen through the powers of being the caring friend. 

Yamaguchi roughly hit him with an open palm in between his shoulder blades as Kageyama coughed aggressively into his elbow. 

“Sorry… just choked… on my… spit… sorry,” Kageuama spluttered between coughs. Yamaguchi rubber a comforting hand on his shoulders. 

He couldn’t back out now. He’d already said yes. He could just stay behind Asahi’s massive frame and try his best to become invisible. 

Yeah. That might just work. 

Daichi left with a comment about delivering more packages, which left Suga muttering about a _specific_ package, which prompted Kageyama to leave the room. 

If he’d thought his focus was going to be off simply because Hinata had been on Kenma’s live stream, then this was pure hell. 

He bounced between thoughts of Hinata being just a few dozen steps away from him, just across the street, and imagining Hinata being just a single step away. 

It was like there was a ghost in the kitchen. Everywhere he turned, Hinata was there in his minds eye. 

Sitting on the counter, stealing a chocolate chip, standing beside Kageyama, looking up at him with those eyes-

_Fucking hell._

Tsukishima snickered everytime Kageyama messed up or ran into something, which was often. He banged his head on open cabinets and jammed his knee into drawer handles. Once, Tsukishima had to grab Kageyama’s wrist before he added salt instead of sugar. 

He knew that Tsukishima would never let him live that down. 

The hours felt like they were simultaneously crawling by at a snail's pace and also over far too quickly. 

“Hello!” Suga popped his head into the kitchen as Tsukishima was placing a half finished cake in the fridge and Kageyama was putting the finishing touches on his icing job. 

“Are you both ready?” Suga asked. Something about him looked different, but Kageyama couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

“Suga-san, did you change?” Tsukishima asked. 

Ah. That was it. 

Suga’s previous sweater had been exchanged for a button up with enough buttons undone to see the glinting silver songbird necklace he wore, stark against his pale skin. 

“Pff! So what! I live around the block!” Suga defended. Tsukishima snickered his signature snide laugh. 

Kageyama was getting pretty tired of that chuckle. 

He wiped his hands off on the apron tied around his hips before untying it and hanging it back onto the wall. 

Kageyama felt his palms begin to sweat and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Could he make it the whole night like that? 

Not if he wanted to drink his feelings into oblivion. 

Shame. 

He followed Suga to the front of the bakery, where they could see Daichi standing outside. 

He was out of his mailman uniform, now just in slacks and a button down. 

Suga sighed. Asahi turned to him, seemingly a bit confused. “What’s wrong? I thought you liked him?” 

Suga waved his hands. “Oh, no, don’t get me wrong. I do like him. I just… I like a guy in a uniform!” 

Yamaguchi snorted so aggressively that he tripped over his own feet, the only reason he didn’t faceplant being Tsukishima’s steadying hands on his shoulders. 

Suga shot Yamaguchi a wink, which only redoubled his fits of laughter. “Shall we go, then?”

Kageyama tried to suppress the urge to throw up. 

The walk across the street felt like it was a mile long. 

“Kageyama, you go first. You were here the other day, they’ll recognize you!” Suga said, pushing Kageyama forward by the shoulders. 

To be honest, Kageyama hoped they _didn’t_ recognize him. If he was going to be around Hinata tonight- even the thought sent a jolt through him- he’d rather be Kageyama than Baker-kun. 

The bouncer looked at their party when they reached the front of the line. He looked first at Daichi, then at Suga. He smiled to himself as if remembering a joke before letting them into the bar. 

It was definitely way more crowded than it had been before. Where before, there had been a few customers dotted about, there were now crowds of people, packed together like sardines. 

“Asahi! Use your looks of get us a table!” Suga cried. “Tsukishima, protect him!” He added. 

Tsukishima let out a ‘ _tch’_ and Asahi nodded stiffly before they began to pick their way through the swarms of people to the bar. 

“Baker-kun!” 

Kageyama stiffened. 

Fantastic. 

Oikawa Tooru was leaning against the bar, a thin silver chain hanging out from beneath his dress shirt. 

“Suga-san, this is Oikawa-san. He runs the bar. We met yesterday,” Kageyama explained awkwardly. He was never the one to bring people together, so he wasn’t used to introductions. 

Besides, his mind was elsewhere. 

“Ah! Are you all bakers?” Oikawa asked, running a glance over their strange party. 

Suga chuckled. “Most of us are. I also picked up the mailman!” Daichi coughed into his hand, but everyone could still see his cheeks flush. 

Oikawa stared before laughing slightly. “Well, aren’t you refreshing? What can I get you, Refreshing-kun?”

“Refreshing-kun! I’ll admit, I haven’t heard that one before,” Suga chuckled. 

“Oh, don't worry! I give everyone nicknames. Like Baker-kun! And my lovely employees, Firecracker, Baldie, and Chibi-chan!” 

_My boss calls me Chibi-chan._

Well. Any doubts he had were now quashed. 

Suga slapped Kageyama’s shoulder. “Stop fidgeting! You’re making me nervous!”

Kageyama made an effort to stop twiddling his hands and shifting his weight back and forth.

 _Suga, you have no_ idea _what kind of nerves I am experiencing right now._

But what Kageyama said, was, “Sorry, Suga.” 

Then, out of nowhere, a force came barreling into Kageyama’s side, nearly knocking him over. 

On instinct, he grabbed the body next to him, preventing him from falling over. 

Which is how Kageyama ended up holding Hinata Shouyou as if they’d just completed a complicated salsa dance, hands looped around his small waist. 

Hinata looked up at him with those massive eyes, a blush spreading across his freckles cheeks.

_What the fuck._   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a cliffhanger AGAIN? 
> 
> yes :-)
> 
> okay serious question does anyone else write lageyama every time they try to write kageyama or is that just my simple brain and fat fingers cause i swear it’s every damn time
> 
> thank you for reading! have a wonderful day, all of you!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> let’s hang out at the bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer that everyone in this fic is over 20, which is the legal drinking age in japan! this is all legal :-) 
> 
> also i am a minor and don’t know how bars work, much less how to be a bartender. if there are any bartenders out there who are offended by my inaccuracies, i sincerely apologize but i don’t know what the hell i am doing!

Hinata was trying very hard not to think about the fact that he’d noticed Kageyama looking his way earlier that day. 

Well, it wasn’t necessarily looking at Hinata as much as looking in Hinata’s general direction, but it had still given him butterflies. 

Then Kageyama had turned back to the conversation he was a part off and Hinata tried to refocus on his job. 

It was pretty hard. 

He found himself looking up and gawking more often than usual, his eyes just naturally seeking out the dark haired man when he was in view. 

Oikawa had even resorted to lightly slapping his wrist to get him to focus, but that had backfired and left Hinata startled and with a broken glass to clean up. 

Hinata was so distracted that day that even when the bar was at its fullest, he still found himself daydreaming. 

He was walking back from a spill near the window when a tall body knocked him aside and a strong arm was wrapping around him to keep him from hitting the ground. 

Hinata stared at the man holding him up by his waist. 

It was as if the lights had dimmed and the music had been turned to low. Everything around him seemed duller, all of his senses sharply focused on the face staring down at him intently. 

“Kageyama?” Hinata blurted without thinking. His mind was muddled from staring into the blue depths of his eyes. 

“Hinata?” Kageyama responded, seemingly equally stunned. 

Hinata blinked a couple of times. “How do you know my name?” 

Not that he didn’t like the sound of it in Kageyama’s mouth. The way he said it made it sound as if Hinata was something special, someone to revere. 

“How do  _ you  _ know  _ my  _ name?” Kageyama retorted, brow furrowing slightly. 

Hinata didn’t really want to say that. So he decided to be childish. “I asked you first!”

Kageyama huffed, his breath warm on Hinata’s face. 

This was when Hinata realized that he was still being held up by the waist, which left their faces  _ very  _ close together. 

He felt his cheeks flush and attempted an awkward roll out of Kageyama’s grasp. 

Even if it would have been  _ really  _ nice to stay there for another few seconds. 

“You never answered my question  _ and  _ I asked first! How do you know my name?” Hinata asked, now facing Kageyama, like a normal conversation. 

Kageyama’s ears were turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, I… Uh… I watch Kenma’s gaming streams when I study. They help me focus,” he said, not meeting Hinata’s gaze. 

“Oh!” Hinata said, feeling a sudden rush of what felt like disappointment. 

For a moment, he’d been imagining that Kageyama had been as infatuated with Hinata as Hinata was with him. 

“That’s nothing to look so embarrassed about!” Hinata reassured. 

“Well, I’m not on any public live streams. How do you know my name?” Kageyama asked. 

Hinata laughed nervously. 

“Ah. Well, you see, when you came in yesterday for your lemons, I was putting away pint glasses under the counter. You just didn’t see me.” 

Kageyama stared at him. 

“You were… under the counter?” 

Hinata gave him a nervous smile. “Yes?”

Kageyama continued to stare. 

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” he said, completely monotone. 

Hinata immediately went on the defensive. “Hey! It’s not my fault that Noya can’t put the glasses away right!”

Noya’s head turned at the mention of his name. “I’m trying to figure it out, Shouyou! It’s complicated!” 

Hinata laughed. He would probably need to put the pint glasses away tonight too. 

“I have an idea, Noya! Just break all the pint glasses with your stupid move that you do and you’ll never have to put them away!” Tanaka chimed in. 

Noya’s eyes lit up indignantly. “It’s not stupid!” He yelled. “Shouyou! In position!” 

Hinata jumped up and ran to the end of the bar. He caught Kageyama’s eye, who looked completely dumbfounded. 

Feeling shockingly bold, Hinata winked at him.

But he was not bold enough to keep looking long enough to see his reaction. 

Besides, he needed his concentration. He cupped his hands out in front of him and nodded at Noya. 

Noya rubbed his hands together and blew on them like he was about to roll dice. He grabbed a pint glass and filled it halfway with the cheapest beer they offered. 

With a cry of “ _ Rolling Thunder!”  _ Noya sent the glass hurtling down the bar at a breakneck speed. Hinata’s hands acted as a cushion as he caught the high speed pint glass. 

Stumbling back a bit, Hinata hoisted the glass into the air to cheers from the crowd. 

Regulars saw the Rolling Thunder at least once a week, usually more. 

It had come about when Noya and Hinata were working late. The bar was empty, save for a couple who’s drinks were long forgotten on their table. 

Hinata had walked to the end of the bar and braced his hands on the table, calling for a pass. 

They’d gone back and forth like that, gradually increasing speeds until Noya sent one so fast that Hinata had been unable to grasp it and it had shattered all over the floor. 

That had happened quite a few times since. 

But this time, Hinata caught it easily and hoisted it for all to see before bringing it back down to take a drink. He held back a gag, because honestly, beer tasted like piss water to Hinata. 

He didn’t let that show, though. He just held up the glass and gave a gesture of cheers. 

Without really meaning to, his eyes found Kageyama’s. 

_ Wow.  _

Seeing the depth of the blue in his eyes was a lot more intense when he was in the same room instead of across the street. 

With an incline of his head, he gestured for Kageyama to take a seat at the bar. He stood there, motionless, until the grey haired man gave him a nudge on the shoulder and winked at Hinata. 

Hinata turned to the back of the bar to try and hide the flush on his face. He made his way behind the counter and busied his hands wiping down a dirty glass to try and stop the nervous tremors running through his fingers. 

Kageyama was sitting between two women, looking supremely awkward. He kept glancing between them like he wasn’t quite comfortable being there. 

Hinata took a deep breath to banish his nerves. 

How many times had he wished Kageyama would come to the bar? That he would notice Hinata? That they would have a conversation? 

He’d already fled from the opportunity once. He wasn’t about to do it again. 

With only slightly shaky legs, Hinata made his way to Kageyama’s seat. 

When he got there, Kageyama looked up at him suddenly. His eyes were full of… some kind of emotion that Hinata didn’t want to think about for too long, lest his nerves come back in full force. 

“What do you like to drink?” Hinata asked, proud of how little his voice wavered. 

“Oh. I don’t really get out much. I don’t know,” Kageyama responded. 

Hinata grinned a bit mischievously. Kageyama’s eyes widened and he looked down at the table. 

“Perfect! I’ll get you something!” Hinata spun around and put his hands on his hips, surveying the wall of alcohol. 

He glanced between Kageyama and the bottles a couple of times, trying to estimate what his preferred flavors might be. 

Eventually he settled on something simple and classy, cool, like the man sitting at the bar. 

Not that he looked very cool at the moment, sitting there with his head hanging, shooting glances at the people around him every couple of seconds.

Hinata giggled a little bit as he put the drink down in front of Kageyama, the noise making him jump. 

“I wasn’t quite sure what you liked, so I took a guess!” Hinata said, leaning forward on the counter. 

Kageyama took a tentative sip, his face opening up when he swallowed. 

“This… isn’t horrible,” he ventured. 

Hinata gasped in mock offense. “Did you think it would be?” 

“Yeah. Kind of.” 

Hinata frowned. “I will have you know that I am an  _ excellent  _ bartender.”

“Better than playing video games, that’s for sure,” Kageyama muttered. 

Hinata’s mouth dropped. “We won almost every round!” He protested indignantly. 

“Yeah, ‘cause you got carried. Duh.” Kageyama rolled his eyes like this was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Hinata crossed his arms and was about to deliver what was going to be a scathing retort, but he was interrupted. 

“Hey, bartender. I’d like a drink,” said a woman a few feet down the bar. 

Hinata jumped up and turned to her. “Sorry! Be right there!” He said apologetically. 

He gave Kageyama a look that hopefully said ‘we aren’t finished’ before walking over to take the young woman’s drink order. 

His hands moved with practiced ease, pouring liquor, shaking ice, straining liquids. It was like a dance, one that Hinata had set out to perfect. 

And if he threw in a little extra flair in case Kageyama was watching him, well that was his little secret, wasn’t it?

He handed her the fruity cocktail, nodding away her thanks and putting it on her tab. 

Hinata glanced over to see if Kageyama was watching, just a little bit giddy at the thought.

His heart sank. 

Kageyama had his back turned to him and was speaking to a woman with a clinging shirt that left very little to the imagination. 

Hinata was sure there was a metaphor in the way Kageyama’s back was turned to the drink Hinata had given him. 

He jumped when a hand clapped him on the shoulder. Tanaka slung his arm the rest of the way across Hinata’s back leaning in so he could be heard. 

“Going in for the baker, huh, Hinata? I’ve never taken you for the kind to flirt with customers!” Tanaka said, squeezing his shoulders. 

“He’s not just- I mean I’ve known him- Well, I haven’t  _ known  _ him, it’s just…” Hinata sighed. “It’s complicated.” 

“Hah!” Tanaka exclaimed. “Have you been holding out on me, my friend? Have you had your eyes on someone this whole time?” 

Hinata slapped the hand on his shoulder. “Keep your voice down! Do you want to tell the whole bar?” He hissed. 

Tanaka laughed. “I dunno! Maybe!” 

Hinata shrugged the arm off of his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at his friend. Tanaka laughed again and wandered over to the other side of the bar. 

Hinata looked back at Kageyama, who was still talking to the woman on his left. 

Hinata let out a noise of frustration before he turned to take another order. 

The man who was ordering was fairly handsome and Hinata was angry and jealous. 

That wasn’t a good combination. 

“I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks,” the man said. 

“Be right up,” Hinata replied with a coy smile. 

It felt fake. 

He was never good at flirting with customers, no matter how much Tanaka and Noya insisted that he ‘work the crowd’ and ‘put his looks to use’. 

Even just a flirtatious smile with a handsome customer made his stomach turn just a little. 

He looked over to see the woman writing something on the back of Kageyama’s hand. Hinata’s heart dropped to the floor. 

He numbly slid the man his whiskey before making his way back to Kageyama, who was watching the woman beside him pick up her bag and leave with a smile and a coy wave. 

“Getting friendly, huh?” Hinata almost spat out, harsher than he intended it to be. 

Kageyama turned to him, looking extraordinarily confused. “What do you mean?” 

Hinata made a gesture at the place where the woman had been seated. 

Kageyama blinked a couple of times before responding. “Her? She just asked me where I worked and I told her I was a baker. She asked if I could make her a custom cake later, then she wrote her number on my hand. Probably so I can recognize it when she calls in to order,” Kageyama stated, as if this was all very obvious. 

Hinata stared at him in disbelief. Either Kageyama was a really good actor, or he had absolutely no clue that the woman had been trying to get in his pants. 

“You- A custom cake? That was the best she could come up with?” Hinata asked, on the verge of laughter. 

Kageyama looked at him, confused. 

“She could have at least said something like ‘a slice of my custom cake’. That’s way more obvious!”

Kageyama still looked completely lost. 

“‘Yama, she was  _ flirting with you.  _ You know, trying to take you home! Get in your pants! Carve a mark on your bedpost!” 

“Okay, okay! Enough with the hook-up metaphors!” Kageyama insisted, covering his ears. 

Hinata laughed for what must have been the tenth time in the last hour. He just felt so  _ light.  _

“Is someone poking fun at you, Kageyama?” 

The grey haired man from the bakery appeared and put a hand on Kageyama’s shoulder. 

“He deserves it!” Hinata exclaims, giggling. “There was a woman flirting with him  _ so  _ obviously and he had no idea!” 

“She said she wanted to place an order!” Kageyama said, turning red. 

“She asked for your custom cake and then gave you her number!” Hinata said. 

The grey haired man laughed. It was a pleasant sound, gentle and airy. “I’m Sugawara Koushi. You can call me Suga. I run the bakery. And you are?” He held out a hand. 

Hinata clasped it and shook. “I’m Hinata Shouyou. Pleasure to meet you!” 

Hinata grinned. 

“God, you both are going to gang up on me, aren’t you,” Kageyama complained. 

Suga shot Hinata a grin, which he returned readily. 

  
  


—————

  
  


“Kenma! You won’t  _ believe  _ what happened today!” Hinata yelled the moment he swung open the door to his apartment. 

“What?” Kenma asked, mostly out of obligation. 

“Kageyama. The baker. He was at the bar! And he knew me! He watches your streams, so he knew who I was!” Hinata exclaimed as he flopped onto the couch, laying on his back. 

“Wow,” Kenma said, not looking up from his game. 

Hinata threw a pillow at him. “Be excited for me!” 

Kenma gave him an apathetic thumbs up without even glancing up from his screen. 

Another pillow thrown. 

Another thumbs up, this one with eye contact and a small smile. 

“Better,” Hinata huffed. 

After a moment, Kenma glanced at him. “Tell me about it,” he said before looking back down at his game. 

Kenma never asked to hear about something if he didn’t actually want to hear it. He was painfully honest, and he wasn’t the type to grit his teeth through a story for the sake of someone else. He was more the type to put headphones in or just leave. 

“Well, we talked, like,  _ all  _ night! When I wasn’t taking orders, at least. We talked about everything! He likes volleyball, can you believe that?!” Hinata said, his heart fluttering in his chest. 

“But it started when someone bumped into me and I fell, but he caught me, like from a shoujo manga! And then I got him a drink, but this woman came over and started flirting with him, but he’s actually a big massive total idiot and he didn’t even realize!”

“You’re not one to judge there, Shouyou,” Kenma said quietly, a hint of humor lacing his words. 

Hinata paused. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, you’ve done that before. You remember,” Kenma said simply. 

Hinata glanced around in confusion. “No, I actually don’t remember, apparently. Care to fill me in on the details?” He asked. 

“Your study buddy from last year. The girl from your literature class.”

Hinata choked on a laugh. “Aiko? Oh, no! We were just friends!” 

Kenma looked at him meaningfully. 

“We were… just friends, right?” 

“Shouyou…”

“Kenma, did I accidentally lead someone on?!” Hinata gasped. “But I- I don’t even like girls!” 

Kenma chuckled softly. “I think someone forgot to mention that to her,” he said. 

“Oh, my God!” Hinata groaned. “I’m the worst!” 

“You aren’t the worst. You’re just… not great in that particular moment.” 

“What if I get relationship karma from that?! Like, if I led someone else on, that means  _ I’m  _ going to get led on! Or Kageyama’s gonna get hit by a car or something awful!” 

“Shouyou, relationship karma doesn’t exist.” 

“You don’t know that,” Hinata pouted. 

“Yeah, but I’m not an idiot, so I can be pretty sure.”

Hinata stuck his tongue out and prayed that Kenma was right. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’d like a slice of your custom cake ;) 
> 
> thank you all for saying kind things and leaving kudos! you’re all far too wonderful and nice to me, i love you all and wish you all a wonderful day (or night)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pining kags pining kags pining kags

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eek sorry this is a day late, i had a super hectic day yesterday and i literally fell asleep in the middle of writing this chapter
> 
> i’m pretty sure next chapter is gonna be the final chapter in the story, but i’m a sucker for epilogues so i’ll probably do one of those too :-)

Sometimes, Kageyama wished he had a roommate. He wished he had someone to come home and tell stories about his day too. 

Someone to eat breakfast in the morning with. Order pizza late at night with. Watch movies with. 

Someone he could laugh with, be himself around, poke fun of. 

Okay, maybe he didn’t want a roommate as much as he wanted a Hinata. 

But was that such a bad thing? To want someone? 

Kageyama fell onto his ratty old couch with a huff. His arm had been vaguely tingling all night, a ghost of a memory on his skin of Hinata, flushed and gasping, staring up at him. 

He glared at his forearm, trying to get the memory out of his head for just a little bit. 

When his phone buzzed in his pocket, it startled him so aggressively that he fell off of the couch. 

He winced as he propped himself back up on his elbows, roughly yanking his cell from his back pocket. 

**Suga:** _ do you hve a seecrt love afair kageyama ? !? _

Kageyama stared at the message, his mind already a bit muddled from his earlier alcohol consumption. 

Suga, apparently, had consumed a lot more than he had. 

  
  


**Me:** _ No _

**Suga:** _ yes! u do! with little redhed firey man! _

  
  


Little redhead fiery man. Kageyama supposed that was an apt way to describe Hinata. It certainly got the point across. 

**Me:** _ We’re just friends.  _

**Suga:** _ :(((((((((((((((((((((((((( _

**Suga:** _ he’s cuteeeee _

  
  


Kageyama huffed and let his head drop. 

_ I think so too, Suga,  _ he thought to himself bitterly. 

  
  


**Me:** _ How drunk are you? _

  
  


There was no reply for a minute, then a picture popped up on the thread. 

Suga was lying on his couch with his head on Daichi’s shoulder. There was a massive mark on Daichi’s neck and he was flushed. Suga was flipping off the camera. 

  
  


**Suga:** _ im plastered bitch! _

  
  


Kageyama let out a small laugh at that. 

He’d gone out for drinks with Suga before, back when he was a new hire at the Black Crow Bakery. He’d expected the kind, gentle manager to be a ‘one glass of wine before I need to sit down’ kind of guy. 

It was on his third round of shots that Kageyama had realized how wrong that was. 

Kageyama was glad he’d gotten Daichi at long last. The mailman seemed kind and responsible, and exactly the right kind of person for Suga. 

Besides, their flirting was getting a little bit out of hand. 

Just yesterday, Kageyama had been forced to endure a whole routine of Suga ‘accidentally dropping his pen’ before he signed for the package. 

Normal people do not take that long to pick up a damn pen. 

  
  


**Suga:** _ so no littl ginger babys????? _

**Me:** _ That’s not how science works Suga _

**Suga:** _ youcould make it work! _

**Me:** _ No.  _

**Suga:** _ r u dating thw little guy or not???!!!!!????!!!!!! _

**Me:** _ No.  _

**Suga:** _ booooooooooooooooooooooo _

  
  


When Suga didn’t send anything else, Kageyama tossed his phone onto the couch and flipped onto his back so that he could stare at the ceiling. 

Alright. 

This whole ‘pining’ game wasn’t going to fly when Hinata worked right across the street. Mostly because, after last night, Kageyama didn’t just think he was attractive. 

He wanted them to be friends. 

Not just friends, of course. That might actually be worse. 

But they liked the same kinds of shows and the same types of music. They both played volleyball in high school, but had to stop in college. 

It hadn’t occurred to Kageyama that he and Hinata might be  _ compatible.  _

It was honestly a bit hard to believe. 

Maybe it was the couple of drinks he’d had, maybe it was the strange giddiness that Hinata made him feel.  But as Kageyama laid there on the floor of his living room, he began to concoct a plan. 

The plan was not well thought out. It was not foolproof. It was barely even a plan. 

But that was the best Kageyama’s vaguely intoxicated mind could produce at that moment. 

After what could have been an hour or ten minutes, Kageyama rolled back into a sitting position. 

All of a sudden, his sweater was too itchy and his jeans were too tight and his belt was too stiff and he just wanted  _ out.  _

He stumbled to the bathroom and struggled out of his clothes, only breathing a sigh of relief when the hot water of his shower hit his back. 

He slumped forward until his forehead rested against the cold tile, relishing in the way the water flowed over his skin. 

Kageyama let out a heavy breath. He still hadn’t really processed all that had happened over the last couple of days. Just last week, he had never heard the name Hinata Shouyou. 

Which was odd, considering Kageyama couldn’t quite picture a life without him anymore. 

They’d had one night's worth of conversation, and Kageyama was so far gone he didn’t think he could come back. Didn’t think he wanted to. 

Even before tonight, he would have had a hard time being  _ together _ with anyone who wasn’t a fiesty redhead with a beaming grin. 

Kageyama would never admit it, but the reason he’d been so distracted when that woman had been talking to him was because her eyes reminded him of Hinata’s. 

They weren’t as big, and they didn’t have the same depth to them, didn’t have the hint that there was something special about them, but they were the same shade of chocolate. 

Kageyama had spent their conversation thinking about Hinata, barely noticing the actual woman speaking until she was writing her number on his hand. 

He looked at the hand in question and made a noise of disgust. Turning to face the stream of water, he stuck his hand under it and scrubbed at the ink with his fingers, the water swirling to the drain now tinted with blue. 

Kageyama stood and stared at the water for a long while. His mind wandered, but he wasn’t really thinking. The day had been long and his mind was just a bit blurry. 

Besides, his thoughts were clouded with orange hair and big smiles. He couldn’t really focus on much else. 

He half-walked, half-stumbled into a pair of boxers before he fell face first into his bed, barely having the peace of mind to pull the covers around him. 

Kageyama’s dreams were full of pink cheeks sprinkled with freckles and fluffy hair and bright eyes. He saw small hands so realistic that it felt as though they were really there for him to reach out and grab onto. 

His dreams were so vivid, that when he woke, he reached out his arm to wrap around the waist of the boy he thought was next to him, only to have his skin meet cold sheets instead. 

Feeling incredibly disappointed and just a bit embarrassed, Kageyama slumped into his chair at the kitchen table. 

It was past noon now, which wasn’t an unusual time for Kageyama to wake, especially on weekends and considering his previous night's alcohol intake, it wasn’t a surprise. 

As he typically did when he woke up after a night out, Kageyama started off his day by glaring at everything in his kitchen. 

He glared at the cereal box when he took it from the cabinet; it was too brightly colored. 

He glared at the spoon he had picked up; it had clattered out of his hands and onto the floor. 

He glared at his glass of milk; the sound of it being put on the table was too loud. 

He glared at his phone; it hadn’t done anything wrong (yet), but he was just in a glaring mood. 

Staring at the blank screen gave him an idea. Maybe he could find one of Hinata’s social media pages. 

He opened the first social media app and typed ‘Hinata Shouyou’ into the search bar, but all of the results were old guys or businessmen with pictures of their luxury cars. 

Hinata probably just didn’t use his full name on his profile, which meant it would be almost impossible to find him. 

With a sigh, Kageyama closed the app and opened a new one. With a few taps of his fingers, the search browser was loading the results for ‘Hinata Shouyou’. 

This app yielded a much heftier bounty. 

No accounts for the man himself, but plenty of posts  _ about  _ him. 

  
  


**@kodzuken.fan**

so is anyone else literally in love with kenma’s roommate? hinata shouyou, if you’re seeing this i am open to marriage

**@love_keneko**

lmao watching all the comments going batshit over how cute hinata shouyou is is my new favorite hobby

**@marry.me.kenma**

hinata shouyou i will make you cookies any day of the week literally step on me and i’ll thank you 

**@kodzukens.btch**

if my boyfriend proposes to me and hinata shouyou walks by… i no longer have a boyfriend i am a single woman 

**@kenekos_gamergirl**

hinata shouyou really out here making us all remember why we like men huh like damn sir 

  
  


Kageyama stared in disbelief. People were so…  _ open  _ on the internet. These are the inner thoughts and feelings of random strangers and they just posted them online for everyone to see. 

They were all fans of Kenma, that much was obvious from their usernames. And so, by proxy, they were now fans of Hinata. 

Kageyama felt a little surge of pride that  _ he  _ was the one who got to talk to him for a whole night. Not these fans. 

Then he realized that they were probably all high school girls, which made him feel a little bit bad for attempting to size them up as rivals. 

He clicked onto one of their accounts and was greeted by a picture of Kenma in a maid’s outfit. 

Kageyama laughed out loud alone in his kitchen. The thought of Kenma ever  _ willingly  _ wearing something like was a hilarious concept. 

Kageyama had never met the man, but the amount he swore on the stream made him think that Kenma was not the maid dress type. 

He scrolled past the picture with another chuckle, only to stop on a picture of Hinata. He was laughing and leaning back and Kenma was looking at him out of the side of his eyes. 

The caption read: “Anyone else lowkey ship them together? (oh my god they were roomates)” 

It must have been a reference to something, but it went over Kageyama’s head. He also didn’t know what the exact definition of “ship” was, but he got the general gist. And he wasn’t exactly pleased. 

He ignored the caption in favor of studying the picture. Kenma was looking at Hinata with that same subtle smile. Hinata’s eyes were squeezed shut in laughter. 

_ Was  _ there something going on between them? Kageyama hadn’t really noticed anything, but then again, he wasn’t exactly the most astute when it came to matters of the heart. 

It didn’t matter! At least, it  _ shouldn’t  _ matter. Hinata wasn’t his to be jealous over. 

And if he started overthinking things now, he would never have the guts to pull off his plan that he’d concocted the night before. 

In the light of day and sobriety, it wasn’t the best plan. It was flawed at best and completely stupid at worst.

But it was the best he could do. So, with a heart full of determination, he stepped out of his front door. 

And immediately hissed like a vampire at the bright winter sun. His temples started to pound and his eyes were stinging. 

Kageyama stepped back inside and pulled the door shut again. 

He chugged a glass of water and threw down a couple of aspirin, donned some sunglasses, and left the house again. 

Take two; With a heart full of determination, he stepped out of his front door. 

This time he made it past the entryway, and into the brisk January air. His head still ached, but the pain killers were already taking effect and the glasses dulled the sun’s blinding rays. 

His stomach started clenching as he neared the bakery, anxiety gnawing at his gut, steady and insistent. 

He paused for a second before he turned the final corner, before realizing that the bar wasn’t even open yet. 

Sure enough, there was no fiery redhead sitting on the window ledge, swinging his legs and laughing. 

It was a bit disappointing. 

But Kageyama put those thoughts aside. He had a plan to enact, after all. 

He pushed the door of the Black Crow Bakery open, inhaling the scent of freshly baked cookies. 

Suga started speaking before he spun around. “Hello, Welcome to the Black Crow- Kageyama? Your shift doesn’t start until, like, four!” Suga said. “Is it four already? Am I still drunk?” He added in a stage whisper. 

“No, it’s not four. I just wanted to make something else. Like, just for me. And I don’t have the good ingredients at my house, so…” Kageyama trailed off. With any luck, Suga wouldn’t figure out his plan and tease him about it. 

Luck was not on Kageyama’s side. 

“Are you gonna make something to win over the ginger kid?!” Suga exclaimed, perhaps a bit too excited. 

Kageyama searched his mind for a respectful way to tell his superior to shut up. Nothing came to him. 

“Maybe,” he grumbled after a couple of seconds. Suga clapped his hands, then winced at the loud sound it made. 

“Kageyama, look at you! Going out, making friends, woo-ing people left and right!” Suga said, leaning his chin onto his clasped hands. 

“Not  _ people.  _ Person, singular. And it’s not that big a deal. I come in early to bake sometimes. Today isn’t any different.” Kageyama defended himself as he crossed behind the counter. 

“It  _ is  _ different, Kageyama! Today is the day you win the heart of your little man!” Suga proclaimed dramatically. Kageyama rolled his eyes.

Behind him, the door swung open and Suga spun around. “Daichi!” He greeted exuberantly. 

Daichi, who was standing in the doorway, gave a small wave. 

“If you do the pen thing again, I’m gonna quit,” Kageyama warned. 

Suga stuck out his tongue and pushed Kageyama into the kitchen. 

Kageyama went willingly, not wanting to hear whatever morning-after talk they were going to have. 

He tied his apron around his waist, not needing to look to tie the familiar knot behind him. Every move he made in the kitchen was precise and practiced, he’d done it all a thousand times over. Every cracked egg, every dash of salt, every dusting of flour, it was all measured and exact. 

Nothing was out of place in Kageyama’s kitchen. Everything was correct and practiced to perfection. Asahi said it scared him a little. 

Kageyama glanced at the clock. He had about three hours until Tsukishima came in and his shift officially started. He surveyed his kingdom of kitchen tools and sweet ingredients before getting to work. 

The first thing he did was pick his recipes. He’d bounced around a few ideas on the walk over, but he needed to settle on something specific before he started. 

He was debating between three things when suddenly the realization hit him. 

Why not just make all three? 

Immediately spurred by this idea, Kageyama set to work. 

The movement of his fingers was practiced and almost muscle memory. He barely even thought about the steps before he was just  _ doing.  _

His hands flew over the counter like a pianist over his instrument, finely tuned. This was a dance that he had choreographed, all flickering fingers and spinning bowls. He could do this with his eyes closed. 

The time flew as it usually did when he baked, and before long, he was greeting Yamaguchi, who had arrived early. 

“Whatcha making, Kageyama?” Yamaguchi asked, peering over his shoulder at the frosting rose Kageyama was painstaking piping. 

“Oh. Uh, nothing special. Just… stuff. You know?” 

Yamaguchi lifted the lid of the white box designed to transport treats. “Looks pretty special to me… Could this have something to do with the bartender from across the street?” 

Kageyama froze. “What? No, it’s not…. That is, I- He just… Please don’t tell Tsukishima,” Kageyama eventually said after sputtering for an excuse. 

Yamaguchi laughed. “I won’t, don't worry. He seemed nice. Very smiley. Didn’t think that’d be your type, Kageyama!” Yamaguchi jokes, slapping Kageyama lightly on the back. 

Kageyama just nodded and refocused on his frosting flower. Sure, he was a perfectionist with every cake, pastry, or muffin he made. But these had to be  _ perfect.  _

His dignity was on the line. 

That, and he really wanted Hinata to like them. 

A few minutes later, Kageyama stepped back with his hands on his hips, surveying the counter of treats. 

He’d made orange citrus macarons with a vanilla buttercream filling, confetti cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles baked in and piped roses, and, of course, classic chocolate chip cookies. 

He grabbed a sharpie from the front of the bakery and practiced writing Hinata’s name on a napkin. His handwriting, however, was shit. 

“Suga-san?” He asked, peering out to the front room. The bakery had a few customers, but none at the register. 

“Yeah?” Suga asked, a cup of tea in his hands. 

Kageyama thrust the white box in front of him. “My handwriting is awful. Could you, maybe…. write Hinata’s name? I just know you can do cursive and stuff, so…” 

Suga grinned. “Of course!” He took the box and the sharpie and bit his bottom lip while he concentrated on the flow of the pen’s ink. 

He handed the box back to Kageyama, who thanked him profusely and ashamedly threw away his practice napkins with his chicken scratch on them. 

As he painstakingly arranged the deserts in the container, he realized belatedly that he should’ve waited to write Hinata’s name on the box. Now, he would have to listen to Tsukishima mock him for it if he left it on the counter. 

Sighing, Kageyama squatted down to his bag and reorganized its contents, patting his spare jacket into a nest of sorts on which to lay the box. 

After double and triple checking that nothing was going to fall on and crush his backpack, he zipped it up and gently carried it back to its place under the counter. 

Tsukishima arrived just after he straightened up and immediately picked a fight. True to his word, however, Yamaguchi didn’t say anything about Kageyama’s secret baking and the work day went about as usual, with Tsukishima getting in the way and Kageyama getting angry and Asahi breaking it up. 

The hours passed both quickly and mind numbingly, painstakingly slow. 

Kageyama was restless and antsy by the time Suga popped his head in to tell them that it was closing time. With less grace and care than he typically had (even if he usually didn’t have much) he swiped a wet paper towel over the counter, trying to clean as quickly as possible, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He jumped and turned to see Suga smiling at him. 

“I’ll take care of this tonight. Go,” he said meaningfully. 

Kageyama nodded sharply and darted to grab his bag, carefully extracting the white box. After a quick check that everything still looked good, he closed the lid and pushed the door of the Black Crow Bakery open. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> making myself hungry for desert writing this 
> 
> ps drunk suga is my religion (also did y’all see that bend and snap reference that was for you guys)
> 
> i do not know what deity has granted me the best, kindest, most awesome readers and commenters because you guys are the BEST!!! your sweet words make my day and i love each and every one of you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some domestic hinata siblings for your viewing pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i’m a big fat liar and this is not the final chapter. i swear it was supposed to be but i just got so carried away with writing about hinata and natsu that it was 3k words by the time kageyama showed up so i’m just extending it by a little :-) 
> 
> ps. i have no clue how old natsu is supposed to be because i don’t know the difference between children aged 4-8 so just picture her however old you want her to be.

Hinata’s day was off to a rather shitty start. He overslept his alarm and was up at ten o’clock, which was much later than he usually awoke. 

Kenma was still asleep when he skidded into their shared kitchen, settling for a handful of cereal and a few gulps of milk for breakfast. He wiped his mouth with his hand and jumped around a bit as he pulled his sweatshirt and jeans on.

He dashed back into the kitchen, but a combination of forgetting to close the cabinet door and his slippery socks on the tiled floor left him sprawled on the ground with a muttered curse. 

“What the fuck, Shouyou?” Kenma asked sleepily. He was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, eyes still half closed in sleep. 

“I’m fine! Just in a rush!” Hinata said wincing as he brought himself back to standing. 

“You’re so clumsy,” Kenma commented before slinking back into his bedroom, presumably to sleep until mid-afternoon. Hinata blinked a couple of times, the sunlight feeling suddenly brighter. He pressed on his forehead, which was tender, but not outright painful. 

Chances were he wasn’t concussed, but a few aspirin would take the edge off, at the very least. He gingerly closed the offending cabinet, glaring daggers at the stupid whorls in the knob. 

With that, Hinata was tugging on his shoes and locking the door behind him. 

His old car rumbled to life and he took a moment to rub his hands together, trying to keep them from going numb before he pulled out of his street. 

Hinata glanced at the clock on his dashboard and swore. 10:12. He needed to be there by 10:30 at the latest, and that was if he didn’t want his mom to talk his ear off about his poor timekeeping. 

He pulled into the driveway of his childhood home at 10:28, breathing a sigh of relief. He grinned as a chubby cheeked girl with fiery hair peeked out through the front window. 

His mother opened the door and waved. Hinata unbuckled his seat belt and made his way to the porch, wrapping his arms around his mother in a hug. 

“Shouyou, you’re cutting it close, it’s nearly-“ his mother began admonishing. 

“Mom! I’m not late! I’m here perfectly on time!” Hinata protested. His mother sighed and ruffled his hair, but she was smiling. 

“Nii-chan!” Natsu squealed, racing through the door and wrapping his abdomen in a death grip. Hinata laughed and kneeled down to hug his little sister back. 

After a moment, he pulled back and held her at arm's length. “Have you been a good girl, Natsu?” He asked, his voice mock serious. 

Natsu jumped to a straight-spined stance and threw up a salute. “Yes, Nii-chan!” 

Hinata grinned. “That’s good! Because I heard a rumor that little girls who are nice to their brothers get treats!” 

Natsu beamed back at him and cheered. Hinata looked up at his mother, who was smiling fondly.

“She’s really missed you, Shouyou,” she said softly. 

Hinata gave his mother a rueful smile before turning back to his sister. “I missed you, too, Natsu! Who else am I supposed to tickle?!” He asked before diving in and running dancing fingers up her sides while she giggled and shrieked. 

When Hinata ceased his tickle attack, Natsu was breathing heavily and leaned on his back. His mother placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing softly. 

“I have to go. Don’t give her too much sugar. Actually, don't give yourself too much sugar either!” His mother laughed and ushered her children inside. 

After they’d said their goodbyes and the door was shut and locked, Hinata fell onto the couch and closed his eyes. 

He faked a massive yawn and spoke with exaggerated tiredness. “You know, Natsu, I’m just  _ so  _ tired. Maybe I should just…” Another yawn. “Sleep… All day…” 

With a third yawn he nestled further into the cushions and began to snore. 

Natsu jumped onto his chest with a squeal of indignance, but Hinata had played this game a hundred times. He wasn’t about to give up that easily. 

He started snoring louder, which prompted Natsu to start banging on his chest with her little fists, giggling and shrieking. 

Hinata cracked an eye open. “Oh, hello, Natsu. Did you want something?” He asked. 

Natsu howled with laughter and Hinata sat up and grabbed her sides again, tickling her viciously. 

After a few moments, the siblings found themselves a bit out of breath on the couch, Natsu sprawled over Hinata’s chest like a starfish. 

“So, Natsu,” Hinata said after a moment, playing with a curl of her bright hair. “What do you want to do with your super awesome big brother today?” 

Natsu lifted her head. “Ice cream?!” She asked excitedly. 

Hinata grinned. “I’m starting to think you only like me because I buy you ice cream, Natsu.”

“I do!” She replied enthusiastically. Hinata laughed and picked her up, placing her feet back on the floor as he swung his own legs into a seated position. 

“Right! Well, get your shoes on! They won’t serve you in your socks!” Hinata said, ushering Natsu into the entryway. 

She pulled on her sparkly pink sneakers, showing off the way they lit up when she stomped and admonishing Hinata’s plain black lace up shoes. 

Hinata just grabbed her hand and led her outside, locking the front door and showing off his new colorful keychain that Tanaka had given him. 

“So, I’m getting you broccoli ice cream with bean sprouts on top, right?” Hinata asked as he helped her strap into her seat. 

“No! Nii-chan! No bean sprouts!” Natsu said. 

“Oh, right, right. You usually get  _ brussels sprouts  _ on top, I remember now!” Hinata said. “Don’t worry! I called ahead to make sure they have extra vegetables for you, Natsu!” 

Natsu laughed as he pulled out of the driveway.

“So, I think Mom will be angry if I give you ice cream at ten in the morning, so I’ll tell you what. We can hang out for a while and then you can get ice cream before she picks you up. Does that sound okay?” Hinata asked. 

“Hmmm… Will you get me a double scoop?” She asked. 

Hinata glanced at her in the rear view mirror. She was using the renowned Hinata puppy dog eyes, so he really couldn’t do much but agree. Natsu cheered in celebration. 

Hinata pulled into the parking lot by the local park and clambered out of the car to find Natsu ready and waiting by her door. 

He grabbed her hand and started the walk to the playground. She chattered at him and swung their clasped hands between them, speaking mindlessly about her classmates and her friends. 

Hinata nodded and asked questions, excited to listen. He didn’t get to see his sister very often anymore, so he was always excited to hear what was happening in her life. 

It’s fascinating, the way a child’s mind works. The things they find important and the things they brush aside. 

For example, Natsu spoke at length about her classmate’s new pet guinea pig, what it looked like, what it liked to eat, what kind of funny sounds it made. But when Hinata asked her what kind of things she was learning in class, she gave him a couple of vague answers before moving on to a different topic. 

Apparently, one of Natsu’s classmates was being mean, teasing her and pulling her pigtails. Hinata was very concerned for a moment, before Natsu brushed it off and said that it was okay, because Natsu had offered to share her bento at lunch, and now they were friends. 

Hinata grinned to himself, remembering doing the exact same thing when he was in school. 

He pushed Natsu on the swings for a while, only hearing half her story when she was swinging his direction. From what he could piece together, Natsu and her friend had been separated on a group project about… sand? Beaches? She had been explaining that while on the apex of her outward trajectory. 

As Natsu chattered on, Hinata spotted a figure standing on the other side of the park. He had dark hair and he stood with his hands in his pockets. Hinata’s hearts thundered for a moment before the man turned around, and was decidedly not Kageyama. 

Hinata let out a breath. Thoughts of the dark haired baker had been plaguing him all morning. 

_ That man’s jacket looks like the one Kageyama was wearing.  _

_ That guy has the same haircut as Kageyama, but his hair is lighter.  _

_ Those earrings are the same color as Kageyama’s eyes.  _

His thoughts had been compromised, so he tried his best to focus on Natsu’s animated storytelling as they made their way through the park. 

They ended up sitting on one of the park benches, just talking. 

Hinata really missed his little sister. 

“Nii-chan, do you have a girlfriend?” Natsu asked out of the blue. 

Hinata choked on his own spit and sputtered for a response. “Uh… no. I don’t. Why do you ask?” 

Natsu huffed. “Meiko told the whole class that her older brother has a girlfriend and I thought it would be cool if  _ my  _ older brother got a girlfriend too. But you don’t.” She swung her legs under the bench. 

“Well, Natsu, I’m never gonna have a girlfriend,” Hinata said slowly, trying to decide whether he should just outright say it or not. 

“Waaah? Why not, Nii-chan? Are you smelly or something?” Natsu asked, peering up at him. 

Hinata laughed. “No, that’s not it. I’m not going to have a girlfriend, because I like boys. So instead of a girlfriend, I would have a boyfriend.”

Natsu pondered that for a second. “But why would you like boys? Girls are prettier!” 

“Well, it isn’t really a choice, Natsu. I just like boys because that’s the way I was born. And besides, boys can be pretty, too!”

Natsu scoffed. 

“It’s true! I met a very pretty boy the other day. He has eyes the color of the ocean and his hair is shiny and doesn’t stick up everywhere like mine. He’s also super tall and strong. He’s a boy, but he’s still pretty.” 

Natsu clicked her tongue. “Is he your boyfriend, then?” 

“Oh, no. He’s way too pretty to be my boyfriend,” Hinata laughed. Natsu just narrowed her eyes. 

“I think he should be your boyfriend. You talk about him the same way you talk about meat buns, and you really like meat buns.” 

Hinata laughed to hide the blush creeping across his cheeks. 

“I think it’s time for ice cream, what do you say, Natsu?” Hinata asked, changing the subject. 

Natsu cheered in response, all thoughts of meat buns and pretty boys forgotten in her quest for ice cream. 

The drive to the ice cream parlor was short and full of Natsu’s vivacious chatter. 

As they pulled into a very lucky parking spot right in front of the Nekoma Ice Cream Parlor, Natsu started clapping and singing a song about how much she loved it there. 

Hinata laughed and tried to sing along, but the combination of gibberish lyrics and Natsu’s frankly tone-deaf melody made it near impossible. 

The bells on top of the door jingled a welcome and Natsu skipped ahead and immediately pressed her nose to the glass of the ice cream display. 

“It’s the Hinata’s! My favorite customers!” 

Hinata grinned at the tall man behind the counter. “Good to see you, Lev!” He said, giving a wave. 

“Hi, Lev!” Natsu said, not taking her eyes from the array of ice cream. 

Lev leaned forward on the counter, his height allowing him to be at the same level as Natsu as he pointed new flavors out. 

Hinata took a step forward and placed his hands on Natsu’s shoulders. “Lev, Natsu has been  _ really  _ excited about her broccoli ice cream with brussels sprouts on top, so we can skip the taste tests,” he said with a wink. 

Lev raised his eyebrows. “How could I forget, Natsu! I’ll be right out with your vegetable special!” He turned around as if to leave. Natsu squealed indignantly. 

“No! I don’t want broccoli!” She said. 

Lev turned back around and tapped his chin. “Hmmm… I suppose we can  _ maybe  _ try all of the flavors until you find something else…” 

Natsu cheered and Lev smiled at her before grabbing a tasting spoon and grabbing a small bite of the tub Natsu was pointing at. 

“Yo, Lev. Did you ever finish that paperwork for the-“ A tall man with spiky black hair that covered a part of his face poked his head and shoulders out from an employee room, but paused in the middle of his sentence when he saw Hinata. 

Hinata glanced around awkwardly. Did he have food on his face? Had Natsu gotten snot on his shirt when they were hugging?

“Hinata? Hinata Shouyou?” The rooster-headed man asked, looking shocked. 

Hinata furrowed his brows. He was pretty good at remembering people, so it was strange that this man recognized him, when Hinata couldn’t place him at all. 

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Hinata asked. 

The man laughed. “Oh, no. I watch your roommates’ game streams.” 

Hinata laughed. He had a feeling of deja vu from the previous night's interaction with Kageyama. At least this time, he wasn’t in a dramatic dip. 

“Oh! You know, it’s sort of fun getting recognized when I go out places! What’s your name?” Hinata asked, extending his hand for a handshake. 

The man’s grip was firm and he smiled back, something about the expression being vaguely feline. 

“I’m Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsurou.” 

Hinata blanched. “Chemistry King Kuroo?” He blurted out without thinking. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. 

Kuroo froze. “I- yeah, I guess.” He rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed. “How did you- How’d you know that?” 

“Kenma talks about you sometimes.”

Kuroo stared at Hinata like the floor had just fallen away and he was standing alone in the universe. Hinata covered his mouth. 

“Don’t tell him I said that. Do not tell him I said that. He’ll literally murder me in my sleep,” Hinata said hurriedly. 

“He talks about me?” Kuroo asked, somewhat skeptical. 

“Well, yeah. Do you think he dm’s just anyone? That’s the most Kenma has  _ ever  _ interacted with a fan. Ever.” Hinata paused. “I really shouldn’t be telling you this. I’m gonna get beat up when I get home.”

Natsu tugged on Hinata’s hand. “Does Kenma Nii-chan like boys instead of girls, too, Shouyou?” 

“Kenma likes games, Natsu,” Hinata said jokingly. “But he also likes kings,” he finished with a wink at Kuroo, who stared at him. 

Natsu nodded like that all made a lot of sense before turning back to Lev and his infinite samples. Hinata was pretty sure Lev would find a way to get the moon for Natsu if she asked. 

“Do you have a pen?” He asked Kuroo, who slowly grabbed a sharpie from his pocket and handed it over. Hinata grabbed it and then Kuroo’s hand, writing a string of digits across the back of it. 

Kuroo looked at his hand then back at Hinata. “I’m sorry, but you aren’t really my type.” 

Hinata tilted his head and laughed loudly. “That’s not  _ my  _ number. For someone who claims to be a king of chemistry, you’re a bit slow on the uptake.”

“Is it- Really? And that’s… okay?” Kuroo asked. The words were vague but Hinata was about ninety percent sure he understood the meaning. 

“Hmm… Well, worst case scenario, he doesn’t respond. Or, I should say that’s the worst case scenario for  _ you.  _ I might get rat poison in my dinner. But I’m pretty sure this is a good idea!”

“You… really don’t think many things through, do you?” Kuroo asked, his eyebrows pushing up to near his hairline. 

“Nope!” Hinata responded cheerfully. He pulled out his phone as Kuroo stepped back into whatever back room he’d come from. Hinata tried not to laugh when he ran into the doorframe because he was staring so intently at his hand. 

**me:** _ don’t hate me  _

**kenma:** _ why tf would i hate you? _

A moment passed. 

**kenma:** _ i literally hate you so much.  _

**me:** _ i just told you not to!!! _

**me:** _ he works at the ice cream place i take natsu too and the opportunity was just too perfect!!!! _

**kenma:** _ sleep with one eye open.  _

**me:** _— . O_

**kenma:** _ wtf is that  _

**me:** _ it’s me keeping an eye open  _

**kenma:** _ blocked.  _

  
  


Hinata grinned at his phone. If Kenma were really mad, he wouldn’t respond at all. This was just playful banter. 

In the end, Natsu got a scoop of bubblegum- which was such a vibrant pink that Hinata didn’t even want to consider the ingredients- and a scoop of pistachio. Hinata wasn’t sure how good they would taste  _ together,  _ but they seemed fine individually. 

One glance into Hinata’s wallet was enough to convince him not to get anything for himself. No ice cream now meant dinner tomorrow. 

They waved their goodbyes to Lev and piled back into the old car, Natsu pressing her cheek against the window to try and keep the tall man in her view for as long as possible. 

Hinata pulled into the side street by Ukai’s Tavern and helped Natsu undo her seatbelt, given that she needed to hold her ice cream with both hands, lest it fall. 

Natsu squealed when she turned the corner and saw Ushijima, who was her favorite giant. He was equally pleased, but showed it with an awkward hair ruffle and a compliment for her hair clips. 

Hinata urged him to tell Natsu about the new baby cow their farm had just gotten and he readily agreed. Natsu was absolutely captivated by Ushijima’s deep voice, nodding her head and swinging her legs. 

Hinata leaned against the wall, happy to give Natsu his usual seat. He glanced at his watch. Their mother should be arriving to pick up Natsu at any moment. 

He was peering down the block when movement across the street caught his eye. 

There was Kageyama, pushing open the door to the Black Crow Bakery, looking staggeringly attractive. Hinata’s pulse began to rapidly speed when it became clear that he was crossing the street. 

Kageyama had just stepped onto the curb when Hinata’s mother pulled up behind him. Trying to ignore his thundering heartbeat, Hinata gave Kageyama a wave and grabbed Natsu’s wrist. 

“Hi! Uh, I’ll be right back, I swear. I just need to give her back to my mom.” Hinata gestured at Natsu. He glanced between Ushijima and Kageyama, two fairly socially awkward people. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in his head. “You both like volleyball! That should be enough to talk about, right? Right.” 

Kageyama nodded slowly, which Hinata took as a sign to lift Natsu up by her waist and set her back on the ground. She was silent until she got to the car, when she gestured for Hinata to lean down. 

He did, curious, as she cupped her hand around her lips and whispered in his ear, “Is that the pretty boy?” Hinata stared at her and nodded slightly. “I think he’s pretty, too!” She said, giggling. 

Hinata laughed and picked her up, spinning her around in a hug before settling her in her seat. He kissed his mother on the cheek before turning back to Kageyama, who was already looking at him. 

Hinata flushed. 

_ Well. I suppose it’s time to have this conversation _ . 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise it’s gonna happen next chapter i swear to y’all it will
> 
> i’m kind of glad i accidentally added a chapter cause that means i could add a bit of kuroo and kenma cause i feel like i haven’t deserved the relationship tag on them yet but what can you do ya know. 
> 
> i know i say this in all of my notes, but your comments saying nice things really mean the world to me. i love you all so much, and thank you thank you thank you!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end all be all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this symbol right here:  
> —————  
> is used to indicate a switch in POV! 
> 
> this is is folks! this is the final chapter. i won’t be posting an epilogue (for reasons i shall elaborate on in the end notes) but thank you all for coming with me on this wacky ride! 
> 
> i hope this wrap up satisfies you! this story didn’t exactly go the way i planned it to, but i think it worked out okay in the end.

Kageyama didn’t think Hinata Shouyou could get any cuter. 

That was a stupid fucking thing to think. 

Kageyama was half listening to Ushijima- now having a name to put to the face of the intimidating bouncer- but his attention was on Hinata. 

He watched as he giggled at something the little girl whispered, then picked her up and spun her around. 

Kageyama was pretty sure his heart had just imploded at the sight. He assumed this girl was his sister, she had the same bright eyes and unruly orange hair. The woman in the car must be his mother, who also looked much like them both. 

When Hinata turned back to them, Kageyama returned his attention to Ushijima, trying his hardest to make it look like he hadn’t been ogling the domestic scene. 

“And that is when Oikawa offered me a job here. We put aside our pasts as rivals and began working together, though I believe that he mostly enjoys the fact that I work under him and he is my superior,” Ushijima was saying. 

Kageyama nodded, as if he had been listening the whole time instead of staring at Hinata. 

“Sorry, guys! I’ve been babysitting Natsu all day! What are you guys talking about?” Hinata asked, bounding up to them. 

“I’m telling Kageyama-kun the story of Oikawa and I,” Ushijima responded. 

Hinata flattened his hair into his head and puffed up his chest. He lowered his voice dramatically. “Oikawa, you should have come to Shiratorizawa.” He laughed. “I can’t count the amount of times I’ve heard you say that, Ushi!” 

Ushijima frowned. “Well, it’s true. He should have.”

Hinata laughed and Kageyama felt his chest contract. Suddenly, the air felt tight in his lungs and he blew out a shuddering breath. 

How did someone he’d known for a day affect him so intensely? 

Hinata turned to face Kageyama. “So. What’s up with you? Not that I don’t mind the visit, I mean you can come over anytime it’s just- Well, you never have and you don’t seem like the kind of person who goes drinking often- Which is fine! That’s cool! But, uh… what was I saying?” 

The flush that crept up Hinata’s neck did not escape Kageyama’s notice. It was sort of nice to have Hinata be the one stumbling for words for a change. 

“I wanted to give you something. Sort of in exchange for the drinks last night,” Kageyama explained, kneeling down to open his bag. 

“But you paid for those! Even after I insisted they were on the house! You literally snuck money into my pocket!” Hinata exclaimed indignantly. 

“Yeah, but you made me something and I repaid it with money, which isn’t the same thing. I didn’t make the money. So that would mean you won, and I don’t like to lose,” Kageyama said, lifting the white box out of his bag. 

“I  _ won?  _ But if I take this box, then I won’t be winning anymore,” Hinata said, narrowing his eyes. 

“Well, duh, dumbass. That’s how that works. And we’ll only be tied until we compete for something else,” Kageyama said. Only after the words left his mouth did he realized that he’d just opened up the door to the opportunity to see each other again. 

Hinata chewed his lip, something Kageyama tried very hard not to dwell on, before he spoke again. “Fine. But only because I want to see what’s in the box,  _ not  _ because I’m complacent in giving up my lead,” Hinata warned before grabbing the box. 

Kageyama held his breath as Hinata traced a finger over the cursive of his name. His hands and fingers were small, and Kageyama couldn’t stop himself from imagining what it would be like to thread their fingers together, to clasp their hands between them. 

Hinata opened the box slowly and Kageyama watched the different expressions sprawl across his face like a television show. 

First was confusion, then was shock, and finally, childlike wonder. Hinata looked up at him and slowly unfurled the biggest, most intensely bright smile Kageyama had ever seen in his life. 

Kageyama blinked a couple of times, just taking in the expression of pure joy on Hinata’s face. 

“Kageyama! This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever given me in my whole life! Thank you!” Hinata exclaimed, dipping his head to examine the array of desserts more closely. “Do you guys want something? I can’t eat all of this by myself! Well, I totally can, but I probably shouldn’t.”

Ushijima took a chocolate chip cookie and Hinata grabbed a cupcake. Kageyama waved away his offer. 

Truth be told, Kageyama didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. This was helpful in the kitchen, since it meant he didn’t feel the urge to sneak bites of chocolate chips or cookie dough. 

Besides, watching Hinata’s face when he bit into the cupcake was a thousand times better than eating one himself. 

His eyes widened and he gasped quietly through his nose. He looked at Kageyama like he had hung the moon and the stars. 

As Hinata stared at him, Kageyama felt his face flush and his heart start hammering in his chest. He could feel his stomach in his throat and he wasn’t quite sure if he was standing on solid ground anymore. 

“This tastes good.”

Kageyama was forcibly yanked out of the moment by Ushijima’s comment. 

“Oh. Uh, thank you,” Kageyama said. 

“Yeah! This is amazing, Kageyama! The rose on top looks like it’s a real flower! And… Are there sprinkles in here?” Hinata asked, holding his half eaten cake up to his eye to investigate. 

“Yeah. I thought you’d like them ‘cause they reminded me of you. Because you’re… fun. Like sprinkles. I didn’t think regular vanilla was good enough,” Kageyama explained, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. 

_ Good one. Compare the guy you like to sprinkles. Points for originality, I guess.  _

“Uwaaah, Kageyama! That’s so cool! It’s like confetti!” Hinata gushed. 

“Right. Well, I have to go. I’m glad you like them,” Kageyama said. He suddenly wished very much that he hadn’t made plans to call his parents that night. Maybe he could’ve stayed for drinks or something. 

“Oh. Okay. I’ll see you around?” Hinata asked, looking hopeful. 

Kageyama gave him a small smile that he hoped desperately wasn’t creepy. “Yeah. I’d like that. See you around, Hinata.”

And then he was walking away.

—————

By the time Hinata walked through his front door, his hands were still shaking, almost endangering the box he cradled to his stomach as he fumbled with his keys before unlocking the door. 

“Shouyou?” Kenma called out from somewhere within the apartment. Hinata stiffened, remembering his spur of the moment decision to play wingman. 

Kenma stepped into view. He was backlit by the red glow of a paused game menu and his hoodie was pulled up, shrouding his face in shadows. 

He looked like a demon straight from hell. 

Hinata flinched and held the box of desserts out like an olive branch, hoping a cookie could help settle a truce between them. 

“I’m sorry! You told me you asked what his name was, which is, like, the equivalent of me proposing to someone, so I just assumed you liked him! And he was right there and he’s attractive and he seems like he likes you a lot!” Hinata blurted out. 

Kenma was silent for a moment before he slowly walked forward and lifted the lid of the box, peering inside. “Did you waste your money on cupcakes? You’re broke, Shou.” 

“I didn’t buy these! Kageyama gave them to me!” Hinata protested. 

Kenma raised his eyebrows suggestively. “So, the guy who watches my streams and has heard you say that the way to win you over is by bringing you sweet things like cakes and cookies did just that? Did I get that right?” 

Hinata’s eyes widened. “Do you… Do you think he meant it like that?” 

Kenma stared at him, dumbfounded. “Duh. Idiot.”

In all honesty, Hinata had not put two and two together. Individually, he knew that Kageyama had watched Hinata on Kenma’s stream and that Kageyama had seemed a little embarrassed to be giving him the sweet treats. 

“Do you think he… I dunno,  _ knows? _ Like, that I like him?” Hinata realized he was chewing his bottom lip, a bad habit he’d gotten in high school and never grown out of. 

“I don’t know. Maybe he just likes you and can’t tell if you like him. You should tell him,” Kenma said. 

“You’re one to talk Mr. My-Roommate-Is-My-Wingman,” Hinata scoffed jokingly. 

Kenma threatened him with a finger. “I never asked you to do that,” he said. 

Hinata waved his comment aside. “Technicalities! Have you texted him yet?” He asked, changing the subject as quickly as he could. 

Kenma didn’t respond, but the words were written all over the blush that snuck over his face. 

“You did! Oh, my God, you totally did! What did you say, Kenma? Did you ask him out? Did you compliment him? He’s really cute, you should see what he looks like!” Hinata gushed, grabbing Kenma by the wrist and dragging him to the couch. 

Kenma pressed his lips together and Hinata groaned, throwing his head back. “Kenma! Please?” 

Hinata gave his best puppy dog eyes and stuck out his lower lip. Kenma glared at him, but threw his phone anyway. Hinata cheered loudly as Kenma buried his face into between two throw pillows, just the tips of his bleach blonde hair peeking up. 

He swiped the phone opened, relishing in the fact that it still let him in with his thumbprint. Hinata was honestly shocked that Kenma didn’t delete it the second Hinata stole his phone and put it in there. 

Feeling slightly giddy, he opened up the messaging app.

**kuroo:** _ hi! it’s kuroo (^._.^)ﾉ _

**me:** _ hi.  _

**kuroo:** _ hinata gave me your number! i hope that’s okay? _

**kuroo:** _ if it’s not i can stop texting you it’s fine! no hard feelings  _

**me:** _ it’s okay.  _

**kuroo:** _ great :-D _

**kuroo:** _ i’ll be honest i’m kinda nervous right now  _

**kuroo:** _ you seem a lot cooler than me.  _

**me:** _ is that because you’re a nerd  _

**kuroo:** _ well yeah (=^_^=) _

**me:** _ don’t be nervous.  _

**me:** _ i’m probably more nervous than you  _

**me:** _ i don’t usually like to talk to new people  _

**kuroo:** _ then how do you live stream? _

**me:** _ cause i don’t actually talk to anyone.  _

**me:** _ except you i guess.  _

**kuroo:** _ ヽ(^o^)ノ _

“Kenma! This is the best thing I’ve ever read! You guys are both so absolutely nerd-tastic I can practically feel it through the phone!” Hinata squealed. 

“I’m not  _ nerd-tastic,  _ idiot. That’s lame,” came Kenma’s reply, muffled from the layers of cushions burying him. 

“He uses the same emoticons I do! I approve of him already!”

“I don’t need you to  _ approve  _ him, you’re not my mother, Shouyou,” Kenma said from his cushion pile.

Hinata laughed. “Well, yeah. But it feels better knowing that I like him, doesn’t it?” Hinata said, looking at Kenma expectantly, despite the fact that Kenma couldn’t see his face. 

Kenma pushed himself out of his pile and flopped onto his back. “Put your baker boyfriend to use and bring me a cookie,” he ordered. 

“He’s not my-” Hinata began, but stopped when he caught Kenma’s death ray of a glare. 

If looks could kill, living with Kenma would render him dead a hundred times over. 

They sat in the living room for the rest of the night, talking about anything except for bakers and chemistry, both keen to pretend as if they weren’t on the cusp of not being horrifically single, as they had been for years. 

Eventually, Hinata retired to his room to sleep and Kenma retired to his room to game until the early hours of the morning. 

As Hinata laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, something just felt  _ off,  _ like an itch in the center of your back that you can’t seem to reach, no matter how much you bend and stretch. Something about how wide the bed was and how cold the sheets next to him were just felt so totally wrong, to the point where he couldn’t fall asleep. 

After what must’ve been an hour of tossing and turning to no avail, Hinata grabbed one of his many pillows and started to punch it. He threw it next to him and huffed as he wrapped his arms around it and squeezed like a vice. 

Surprisingly, it felt comfortable. Better than the restlessness, at the very least. 

So Hinata fell asleep spooning his pillow.

When he awoke, his blankets and pillows were a mess as they always were, so he payed no mind to the specific pillow, trying not to think about how the uncomfortable feeling that had been so all consuming might have been  _ loneliness.  _

Hinata stumbled into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of sugary cereal. He didn’t need to go into work until much later, since the bar didn’t even open until the afternoon. So he sat at his kitchen table and just watched the sunrise though the window over the sink, mentally noting the way the dew glistened on the grass and the birds nests in the barren trees. 

Kenma slunk out of his cave of depravity in the early hours of the afternoon while Hinata was finishing the dishes they’d left out the night before. 

“Shouyou. Will you stream again today?” Kenma asked sleepily.

“Oooh! Am I gonna be a recurring guest? Do your fans love me that much?” Hinata asked cheekily. 

“Shut up. I’m just tired and you’re so… you. So it’ll balance it out,” Kenma explained, as if that made all the sense in the world.

Hinata agreed anyway and an hour later found the two of them in front of Kenma’s dual monitors once more. Kenma even let Hinata click the ‘go live’ button- after at least five minutes of begging and grovelling. 

The introduction went smoothly and the people in the chat were ecstatic to see Hinata again. 

He watched the usernames scroll by, wondering idly if Kageyama was watching, commenting even. The thought made Hinata’s stomach twist into knots.

Hinata grabbed the cookie he’d left for himself on the desk next to the monitor and took a bite, savoring the way it tasted. 

“‘It’s too early to eat a cookie’ says AprilKitty. I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s almost two! Plus, these cookies are especially good, so I can eat them whenever I want to!” Hinata proclaimed. Kenma snickered a little, his eyes not leaving the screen. 

“Alrighty, well while I wait for Kenma to win  _ again,  _ I’ll answer some more questions, ‘cause that was super fun last time! Send ‘em in, guys!”

Hinata’s eyes tried to follow the stream of the chat, but it was far too quick and he ended up pausing and scrolling slowly, so that he could actually answer the questions. 

“‘How tall are you?’ I am one hundred and seventy-two centimeters and growing! Maybe. ‘Your hair is so cute!’ Thank you, Kenma’s… Kenma’s left toe? Am I reading that right? That’s your username? That’s hilarious! ‘Are you single?’” Hinata paused.

Kageyama was probably watching. What was the best way to answer that question?

“Hmm… Let’s just say… Hopefully not for long. But I’m leaving it at that. No- thanks guys, but I’m not gonna say anymore. Oh! Look, Kenma won! But are we really surprised?” 

Hinata laughed, but a nagging thought at the back of his mind wondered if Kageyama understood what he had just said. 

\----------

  
  


Kageyama had no idea how to understand what Hinata had just said. 

_ Are you single? Let’s just say hopefully not for long!  _

Kageyama didn’t take his eyes from the screen as he raked his fingers through his hair.

Did it mean what he hoped it meant? That Hinata liked him back? Or did it mean that Hinata had liked someone before he’d met Kageyama and they were going to get together soon? One of his co-workers, maybe? He seemed very close with the bouncer, Ushijima. 

No. No, he couldn’t be having those thoughts now. He was going to do something about this stupid crush of his, even if it ended in flames. 

Kageyama had his shoes pulled on halfway when he realized a few things. 

  1. The bar would not be open. 
  2. He had no clue where Hinata was 
  3. He had no idea what he would say when he found him. 



Kageyama pulled his shoes back on and sighed. He sat in his living room on the floor and began to brainstorm. 

After a few hours of thinking so hard he felt as though his brain was about to melt out of his ears, and a couple of texts and an excruciatingly painful phone call with Suga, Kageyama finally felt ready. 

He spent a while staring at his closet, until he finally caved and called Suga again, who walked him through what matched and what didn’t. 

He pulled on the cream sweater that Suga said ‘made his arms look like they’d been chiseled from marble’ - whatever that meant- and headed out the door. 

After turning the final corner, instead of heading directly to the bakery, he kept walking and crossed the street, pulling open a door with a soft jingling bell. 

“Hello. What are you looking for today?” Asked a quiet woman with dark hair and glasses. She was objectively very beautiful, but Kageyama didn’t even notice, his head too full of his plans. 

He looked around at the walls and walls of floral displays. 

“Uh, I don’t really… Know much about flowers. Can I just tell you what it’s for and then you can help me pick?” Kageyama asked hopefully. 

The woman smiled softly. “Sure. What’s the occasion?” 

“Oh! Uh, well… There‘s someone I like. A lot. And I’m gonna confess, and he seems like the kind of guy who would like flowers. Bright ones. He has bright hair and a bright… Smile? Is that super cheesy? Anyways, I just don’t really know what I’m doing,” Kageyama stuttered. 

The woman- Kiyoko, her name tag read- nodded and gestured for Kageyama to follow her. He did, staring at the various colors and sizes of the flowers around him. 

Kiyoko hummed quietly to herself as she wandered around, plucking various flowers from various bouquets around the store. 

“I’m sorry if this seems like I’m prying, but I have to ask,” Kiyoko began while she started to cut a piece of orange ribbon to tie the stems together with. “The person you’re confessing to. Is it Hinata-kun from Ukai’s Tavern?” 

“Huh? How- How’d you know?” Kageyama asked, absolutely dumbfounded. 

“I’ve seen you at the bakery across the street before, and I know Hinata-kun from working nextdoor for so long. His co-workers are… sweet,” she said quietly, not meeting Kageyama’s gaze. 

“Huh. Well, yeah. Do you… Do you think he’ll like them?” Kageyama asked, fidgeting nervously with his fingers. 

Kiyoko smiled warmly. She really was pretty. “I made sure to include the flowers he likes to look at when he comes in. He’ll love it.”

“How much do I…” Kageyama trailed off, reaching for his wallet when Kiyoko placed a hand on his wrist. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad Hinata found someone like you,” Kiyoko said, placing her hand back in her lap. 

Kageyama’s mouth suddenly felt very dry. “Right. Uh, thank you. A lot. For the help, and for the paying. Thank you,” he stumbled over his words and he made his way out of the shop. 

He pushed open the door and closed his eyes, breathing in a deep gulp of air. 

“Kageyama?” 

All of that air left him in a massive huff. 

Hinata was walking towards him slowly, like he was approaching an easily startled cat. 

Kageyama’s stomach started to roil and he swallowed thickly. 

“What’s with the bouquet, ‘Yama? Are you confessing to someone?” Hinata asked teasingly, now directly in front of him. 

“Yeah. I am,” Kageyama stated, sounding much less nervous than he felt. 

Hinata’s face fell. “Really? Oh. That’s… That’s great. Good for you. I’m sure they’ll be pleased.”

“Well, duh. I hope so,” Kageyama responded. 

“So… Uh… Why aren’t you going to, you know… do that?” Hinata asked, looking at the ground and lightly kicking around a pebble. 

“Yeah, well, I’m trying, but they’re being stupid and they haven’t realized it,” Kageyama growled. 

Hinata’s head snapped up. His eyes widened and he stared at Kageyama with disbelief. “Me?” He half whispered. 

“No shit, dumbass! Now shut up so I can do this like I practiced!” 

Hinata nodded and shut his mouth. 

“Alright. Well, I’m not very good with words. But when I first saw you, I was really angry.”

“This confession sucks, Bakageyama,” Hinata cut in. 

“Don’t interrupt! I’m not finished! I was angry because Kenma’s streams helped me study and then all of a sudden you show up and I can’t focus anymore because all I can think about is you.” 

Hinata’s mouth fell into a little ‘O’.

“And then I was mad at myself for having a crush on some guy who didn’t know I existed. But then it turned out you were right across the street from me and I was too afraid of your stupidly scary bouncer to ever realize. So I was angry then too. I’m sort of angry a lot. But you make me… less angry. You make me happy. And I… I like you a lot. And I want to spend more time with you.” 

With that very eloquent speech, Kageyama thrust the flowers into Hinata’s chest. Hinata looked down at the flowers and then back at Kageyama. 

“Hmmm. That’s a real shame, ‘cause I already have a crush on this really hot baker who works across the street from me. You wouldn’t know him,” Hinata said with a smirk. 

Kageyama growled, low and heavy, and stepped forward. 

It all happened at once. 

Hinata dropped the bouquet of flowers to his side. Kageyama stepped forward and cupped a hand to the back of Hinata’s neck. Hinata’s other hand came up to rest on Kageyama’s chest. 

And then their lips met. 

It wasn’t like the picture perfect first kisses between lovers that happen in movies. There were too many teeth and their noses bumped and Hinata’s lips were just a bit chapped. 

But it was absolutely perfect. 

When they pulled away, they were both slightly out of breath and Hinata leaned on him slightly. 

“I’ve liked you for a year,” Hinata said softly. “I would always come outside on my breaks to see you through the bakery window. But you never looked back.”

Kageyama pulled him into a hug, Hinata’s arms wrapping around his waist, still holding the flowers. 

“Well, in my defense, I was really fucking scared of Ushijima.” Hinata laughed. “I guess that ties us again, huh.” 

“What?” Hinata asked, pulling away slightly to look up at him.” 

“Well, we were at one and one. Then I confessed first, so I won that. But you liked me first, so you get a point. Now we’re two to two,” Kageyama explained. 

“Alright, I’ll play your little game. I’ll just have to give you a competition you can’t win! Then I’ll be in the lead!” Hinata grasped his hand and pulled him forward. 

Kageyama gave a glance back into the flower shop and made eye contact with Kiyoko, who smiled. Kageyama gave her a thumbs up and turned back to Hinata, who was swinging their clasped hands between them and brainstorming competitions to have. 

Somehow, out of thousands of viewers all thinking the same things, Hinata had picked Kageyama. Grumpy, angry, vulgar Kageyama. 

Hinata squeezed his hand slightly and Kageyama squeezed back, as if they both couldn’t believe this was really happening. 

But it was. 

And Kageyama was never letting go.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was that too cheesy? executive decision by me says no!
> 
> so i won’t be doing an epilogue for this story because 1. i like the way it wraps up here and 2. have already started my next story, so anything else i write for this fic would feel rushed and half assed and i don’t want to end this on a bad note, so i’m leaving it here! 
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed! thank you all so so so much for your kudos and comments, they really truly mean a lot to me, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! 
> 
> if you’ve ever considered writing a fic, this is your sign!!! i promise it is so rewarding and the community is so supportive! (if you do write one, maybe come back here and comment so i can read it and tell you how much i love it because i am sure it will be amazing!)
> 
> thank you all again! i love you!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you thank you THANK YOU for reading! this is my second work that i’ve put out into the world so it really truly means a lot that you’re reading this. i love and appreciate every last one of you.


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